An Explosive Arbiter
by Anonymuss45
Summary: In a wide, wide, galaxy, change can come at the drop of a hat. In Bakugo Katsuki's case, it came in the form of an explosion. With an entire galaxy to explore and dangers at each and every turn, it's a race against the clock to fix his mistakes with a small group of idiots who attached themselves to him at the hip.
1. Bakugo Katsuki- Origin

**An Explosive Arbiter**

 **Chapter 1: Bakugo Katsuki- Origin**

 _ **This is the story of how Bakugo Katsuki became a Hero.**_

Bakugo Katsuki sighed as he twiddled his thumbs in the jail cell that he was in.

It was honestly embarrassing how he had gotten himself into this situation. One moment, he had been the star of the show- piloting one of the best ships in the damn galaxy, outrunning the Federation and the rebels alike at each and every turn, taking what he wanted, when he wanted…

And now look at him. Washed up in the most secure prison on a meteor floating in the middle of nowhere, Tartarus, and all because of that shitty fucking _Deku_.

Bakugo was the damn best, but there was nothing that could have helped in in that situation, because that shitty nerd had _tricked_ him.

There was a reason that Bakugo didn't usually take missions from the Rebels- they were all lying, backstabbing losers who would do anything to get what they needed to give them an edge against the 'almighty' Federation.

Bakugo snorted. Almighty his ass. They were chumps. The only ship worth mentioning was their flagship.

The reward for that particular mission had been _good_ , though- plenty of both scrap and credits to go around, enough to sustain himself and his ship for almost a year, twice that if he did it and implicated the Feds. He would have been stupid to not take it, especially when a quarter of it was given as a down payment.

What he hadn't known was that there was an ambush lying in wait for him- hell, the facility that he was supposed to rob didn't even _exist_ , with a fake one being built in its place specifically for this instance.

What he hadn't known was that this was a collaborative mission between both the rebels and the Federation to capture him, _alive_.

What he hadn't known was that he had pissed off the leader of the rebels, _Endeavor_ , when he had stolen the man's medal, unknowing of the object's significance before the man had visited him in jail.

And most importantly, he hadn't known that the _One For All_ would be lying in wait for him.

The _One For All_ was the pride of the Federation- a super-dreadnought with the capability and firepower to bombard and destroy an entire planet from space within a minute, boasting the most powerful shields in the galaxy, the most advanced energy reactors, the fastest engines and warp drives…You name it, the ship had it, and it had the goddamn best of it, and with _Deku_ at the helm, he had made sure that Bakugo had been brought in, probably to rehabilitate him or some shit like that.

The worst part about the ship was that it hadn't been built in some random planet by a bunch of bureaucrats who had a lot of money. No, the _One For All_ was built from the ground up by humans. It started as the shittiest ship in the galaxy. Completely useless, no weapons, barely any engines, and an oxygen tank. That was it. Nine generations and five million workers later, and it's the best ship in the galaxy. Not even the _Hellflame_ , the ace in the hole for the rebels, stood a chance.

Compared to Bakugo's ship, a smaller ship meant to be operated by a single person with drones doing all of the maintenance and other work, he hadn't stood a chance. The best cloaking devices in the galaxy couldn't have hidden him, and the hacking ensured that he wasn't getting out.

It was a shitty situation. He knew that he shouldn't have taken the deal.

Now, because he was reckless, he was stuck in this shitty rock in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by guards at all times and given the 'special treatment'. His jail cell couldn't even be called that. He had a table, a view of the outside (extremely reinforced glass, so he couldn't break it if he tried), proper lighting- hell, he even had a proper _bed_ and a fucking TV.

And all because Deku had done the same damn thing that he had been doing all of his life.

The damn nerd was looking down on him again.

Deku thought that he couldn't handle himself with the other inmates. Bakugo was a fabled thief, damn it, not a liability. He could kick the shit out of anyone here, even without his fucking Quirk.

And here was another problem that Bakugo had with that shitty fucking Deku. The _Quirks._

Deku hadn't had a Quirk when they had been born, a lot like most of the galaxy. There was only a select few born with them, maybe 30% or so, with 95% of that being humans. But then the years had passed, and Deku just... _got_ a Quirk. And it was a damn good one, too.

So good, it was said to be the best in the galaxy.

It frustrated him to no end. They had gone to the same school, except Bakugo had been so much better off that there was barely any competition. Yet Deku had just trailed after him with that small smile on his face, smugly announcing to the world that _he was better than Bakugo Katsuki_. He knew something that Bakugo hadn't, and it had been that _fucking Quirk!_

Small explosions erupted along his hand out of his rage, which were swiftly stopped once a small shock was sent through his entire body, originating from the bands on his arms.

Bakugo returned to reality for a moment, realizing that the guards who were watching him had a small look of concern on their face. He realized how twisted his face was, full of rage, and forced himself to calm down, if only for a second.

Even though Bakugo had a head start, Deku had still reached the finish line faster than him and better off than him, and that pissed him off more than anything. He would say that it was even unfair.

Bakugo was brought out of his thoughts when he saw a ship coming towards the prison. _Oh joy, more losers to gawk at me_.

Slowly, almost painstakingly, the ship docked. Ships would only come in for two reasons- to bring supplies and to bring more prisoners, and they had gotten a supply shipment three days ago.

He watched, bored, as the ship pulled into the dock. After about a minute or so of waiting, a small speck of yellow, surrounded by other blue specks, left the ship.

 _A single prisoner, huh? Must be high profile._

And with that, he stopped caring. It wasn't his job to keep track of every damn person in this hellhole, and on that note, he didn't even need to. It wasn't useful to him. Even if he could talk to the other degenerates in this prison, he wouldn't.

Soon enough, that prisoner would join the rest, and Bakugo would never see him again.

Bakugo sighed, stretching his arms, before moving away from the window. With the mild excitement that came from seeing something moving that wasn't on the TV in the wall now gone, he was back to boredom.

Sighing, he began to exercise. There wasn't much else to do.

Time passed excruciatingly slowly for Bakugo Katsuki. He still got news, but that didn't mean that he had anything to do.

It took three days for that to change. 

It was time for his regularly scheduled news report when it happened.

He had been sitting in his room, eyes glazed as he watched another story of Deku's heroism. It was like a personal slap to the face. Whenever the nerd wasn't out _keeping the peace_ , he was in here, pity in his eyes as he tried to convince Bakugo to help him, saying that _he was one of the most talented pilots and fighters_.

It pissed him off. He didn't want pity, especially not from Deku.

He was brought out of his reverie by a muffled rumble.

It had him jolting up, eyes wide as he turned the TV off and listened, straining his ears as hope began to fill his heart.

Another rumble, closer this time.

A feral grin crossed his face.

The laser gate that separated him from the sterile white hallways of Tartarus was all that prevented him from running out and investigating, but as it turned out, it was hardly necessary.

A figure, dressed in all black with hands covering him, paused in front of the gate, turning to look at him with a face covered by a single hand.

No words were exchanged between the two, but a palm reached out from the other side, and the gate opened.

Bakugo stepped out leisurely as Hand-man stepped out of his way. Looking to the side, he saw two piles of ash where the guards usually were.

"You remember me, right?" Bakugo asked, voice somewhat hoarse from disuse.

"Bakugo Katsuki. A key player in this game, but not the point of my mission." Hand-man said, lightly scratching at his neck.

"Hey, who the hell do you think I-"

"But...I wouldn't protest a new member. If you remember me from all that time ago, then you should know my mission objective right now.." Hand man said, and Bakugo squinted as he looked at him closer.

Another grin split his face. _Damn,_ this was lucky.

"You're looking for your friends that Deku jailed up, right? Yeah, I'll help you out. Just get these Quirk bands off, and I'll work with you." Bakugo proposed, extending his hands. Without wasting a single second, Hand-man's hand extended, and the bands disintegrated with a single touch.

"Follow me, you NPC." Hand-man said, turning his back to Bakugo.

It was objectively his worst idea that night.

" _DON'T CALL ME AN NPC, YOU FUCKING EXTRA!"_ Bakugo raged, firing off a tremendous explosion that engulfed the hallway in front of him.

Even despite the mild ache in his muscles, Bakugo had a feral grin on his face. _Damn,_ it felt good to stretch his limbs again.

A hand reached out from the smoke left over from his explosion, and Bakugo's eyes widened. Not out of fear, but anticipation.

"I had hoped that you could back up that strength that Deku likes to tell me about!" Bakugo yelled, using an explosion to propel himself over the hand and firing another at the space where Hand-man should have been.

...But his explosion hit nothing. Bakugo blinked, then folded over as he rolled to avoid the hand rushing at him.

"Tch! So that first hand was a bluff...Don't be a bitch about this and fight me like a man!" Bakugo raged, firing off rapid-fire explosions down the cramped hallway. As long as he hit the whole space, he had nothing to worry about. In fact, the only thing that he needed to worry about was oxygen supply. It was limited on the ship, and too much fire and smoke would make it run out fast.

Wait... _the oxygen!_

Bakugo almost panicked, but fired an explosion directly upwards, barely avoiding getting disintegrated by Hand-man's outstretched hand, coming from the air vent above him.

Jumping backwards, he watched as Hand-man landed from the air vent, clothing a bit singed and missing two of the hands on his clothing, but otherwise fine.

"Don't make this difficult. I would prefer it if I could avoid an encounter." Hand-man's voice rang out through the now-quiet corridor, sounding weary.

"Fuck you, too." Bakugo said in retaliation, wiping the side of his mouth.

Hand-man's head moved, and Bakugo was no longer the source of his attention. Taking a minor risk, he took a look behind him.

Standing behind him was probably another member of Hand-man's shitty 'League of Villains'. That one with the fire, if he remembered right.

"Yo, Hand-man, we got Kurogiri. We're clear to leave. You need some help here?" Edgelord asked, tilting his head backwards. Bakugo probably would have tolerated the guy for the Hand-man remark, but again, he was in the League.

"Good timing, Dabi. We want him alive." Hand-man ordered, and Edgelord just rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"Whatever." He said, and with a flick of his hand, black flame was curling down the hallway towards Bakugo.

" _Shit!"_ Bakugo exclaimed, firing off a large explosion down the hallway to deter the fire. Fighting fire with fire did actually work in the case of Quirks, or at the very least, in this case.

He was forced to let up the assault when Hand-man came up from behind him, a hand lunging for his arms, which he deftly dodged, firing off another explosion at Hand-man even as the black flame raced down the hallway.

Placing his hands behind him, Bakugo began to fire off small explosions, propelling him forwards faster than he could have ran. He needed to get out of here, and _fast_. It wasn't that he couldn't beat these guys- they weren't shit compared to him. The problem was the location.

He was pincered in a closed off hallway. There was no way for him to easily fight them both, not here.

His feet pounded as he raced down the hallways, black flame licking his heels the whole way as he passed prisoners and guards alike. He knew this place well, but they probably had entire goddamn blueprints.

A harrowing amount of time running later and he was in the 'tube'- a long, small empty hallway made entirely out of glass where they walked new inmates in from the dock, which was his destination. It gave a nice view of the rest of the rock and what the inmates were in for.

It was also a mile long, and the normal transport was shut down, probably by the assholes behind him.

Risking a look back, he could feel comfort in the fact that Edgelord was the only one after him by the point, and his forehead was slick with sweat, probably from his Quirk. He'd been using it quite a bit in the last twenty minutes.

It was something to put more fire in his veins, even as his muscles complained and his lungs were pained from the constant Quirk use and running.

"Stop running, you little shit!" He heard Edgelord yell out at him, clearly infuriated, and Bakugo smirked, putting more power into his explosions.

The tube was mostly clear. He could see a few people at the end of it, but they were probably going to be gone by the time he got to the end.

The next mile was a harrowing one.

More than once, he was forced to stop, turn around, and blast a massive explosion at Edgelord, who was still following him. His arms were beginning to scream at him. It would be rough taking the rest of the dipshits out, but he wasn't _Bakugo Katsuki_ for nothing.

His back was singed and his feet stung by the time he made it to the end.

Blasting open the blast door at the end of the tube with one of his personal favorite moves, AP Shot, Bakugo threw himself into the large docking area with vigor unknown to mankind, Edgelord hot on his heels.

Edgelord probably expected him to try and steal one of those fancy, chromium plated ships with all of their advanced systems.

What he probably didn't expect was for Bakugo to reverse his explosion and begin to fight him.

The area was wide open. Gray walls, not unlike a prison. Sturdy design, meant to withstand fire from space.

It was perfect for him.

He had to admit, even though Edgelord had exerted himself for almost half an hour now, he still put up something of a defense.

And that 'something of a defense' was arms thrown up in front of him before Bakugo let out all of the rage that had been building up inside him in one, massive explosion.

But there was just one problem with that.

The explosion never reached Edgelord. In fact, the only thing that it reached was a wall, some twenty feet from their location.

Bakugo's eye twitched as the smoke cleared and the swirling black mist in front of him became visible.

"Thanks, Kurogiri. The trash was getting worrisome." Edgelord called out cheerfully, and Bakugo's eyes hardened in rage as a portal opened up behind him, with Hand-man stepping out. A man made of mist appeared next to him.

"I was simply doing my duty." The mist fucker- fGastly, Bakugo decided- said, like he was obligated to do it or some shit like that. No, they were just interested in keeping each other alive.

"Haaah? There's more of you now? Well, bring it on, you fuckers!" Bakugo roared, small explosions crackling on his fists. The only thing he got in response was a raised eyebrow from Gastly.

"Kurogiri, this guy is annoying me. I don't think we need to take him alive anymore." Hand-man said, and new fury was planted into Bakugo's heart.

"HAAAH! YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ME! JUST TRY IT, FUCKERS!" Bakugo cackled, throwing his head back with genuine mirth.

He heard a sound behind him, the same as the sound of Gastly's portals, and he blinked before quickly turning around.

Right in front of Bakugo was a knife, flying towards his throat. Time seemed to almost be suspended as his mind kicked into overdrive.

He wouldn't be able to react fast enough. His hands were moving, just not _quickly_.

He was about to die to these no-name scumbags.

Before he could react, or do anything, he felt harsh hands jab into his side and push him out of the way. With a shout of " _LOOK OUT!"_ he was shoved aside, and the knife only grazed his neck.

Looking up from where he lay sprawled on the ground, all he could see was a fucking weirdo with red hair, standing defensively in front of him.

Bakugo slowly and deliberately pulled himself to his feet, looking at the person who had saved his life. When the man noticed that Bakugo was standing, he visibly brightened and turned to him with a smile on his face, saying, "Oh, good, you're alright! Come on, let's get out of here!"

Bakugo said nothing for a long moment, but looked around warily. The three assholes were staying back warily, unsure of the situation at hand. Shitty Hair over here had some balls to be helping him against these guys, and since he was human, it was likely that he had a Quirk.

As much as he hated to admit it, the situation wasn't good for him. If he had been in tip-top shape, he probably could have fought these assholes and won. But he was tired, he had a slit in his neck that was leaking blood, and now he had a liability with him.

"...Yeah. Whatever. Just don't get in my way. You got a ship?" Bakugo asked, not bothering to watch his volume. The dock was mostly silent, anyways. Anything he said, regardless of volume, would be heard.

"Yeah! Here, take this." Shitty Hair said, tossing something behind him that Bakugo caught easily.

It was a transporter cuff. It let someone locate you and beam you to a ship easily. Of course, it was possible to just do it with coordinates, but they weren't always reliable, especially in beaming. If it was done wrong, you weren't getting anything aside from a corpse.

The second he slapped it onto his wrist, the battle began anew.

Bakugo didn't bother trying to keep up with where Shitty Hair was. His main concern was getting rid of fucking Gastly. Those portals were a major problem; he had almost been cut in half by them several times, and if he wasn't careful, Hand-man's hands would come grasping for him through one of them, if not Edgelord's fire. Plus, there was also the unknown factor of where the knife came from. More were being scattered across the battlefield, and Bakugo could barely keep track of where they came from.

Was Blood Bitch here, too?

The fight wasn't in his control, and that enraged him.

Ignoring the raging pain in his arms, Bakugo fired up another explosion, directed towards Gastly with the intended target being Edgelord. Gastly tended to protect himself. He ran when something was directed towards him, unless his attention was divided elsewhere, which made his portals less accurate.

And right now, his portals were all over the place.

 _Take this, you fucking bastard._

An enormous explosion ripped from Bakugo's arms, and he grit his teeth as a small grunt of pain left him. He was holding it together well, but if he didn't get out of here soon, he would be out for the count for longer than he would like.

Gastly protected himself, as he predicted, and out of another portal a small distance away, the rest of his explosion rocketed out.

Right into Edgelord's face.

"Dabi!" Gastly cried out, looking worried. Bakugo could only give a smug, almost feral grin as his arms tore themselves apart.

Then, almost without preamble, a blue light enveloped him, and he was encompassed with the gut-wrenching feeling of being transported.

Falling ungracefully onto a hard floor of a ship, Bakugo finally allowed his arms to rest. They fucking _hurt_ like there was no tomorrow. This wasn't one that he could just sleep off, either- he had done too much with too little protection on his part. His muscles were probably torn to shreds right now.

Something heavy landed on his back, and Bakugo let out a groan before pushing Shity Hair off of him. The man was panting, and heavily, but he didn't seem hurt. It was probably something to do with his Quirk, whatever it was.

The room that they were in was small at best. It seemed to be cobbled together out of literal scrap. It looked like the first ship that someone bought at a high price from a shady guy in an alleyway somewhere.

To the right of him, Shitty Hair sighed. "Home sweet home."

"If this is your home, then you're a fucking peasant." Bakugo responded, pulling himself to his feet. This ship didn't look good. The 'door', and he hesitated to even call it that, was rusted and looked like it was taken from a locker at an academy on some backwater planet. It made a horrible sound when he opened it before falling off entirely.

Bakugo stared at the impromptu door before deciding that it probably served better on the ground than as an actual door.

Stepping out into the hallway, he got something of a scope of how big the ship was. The hallway could barely even be called a hallway- it was barely long enough to fit the door, and it was about a foot wider than he was.

There were two rooms off to the right, both of which had ominous noises coming out of them. Bakugo decided to not investigate, valuing his life more than his curiosity.

Opening up the one door to the left, thankfully a proper door this time, he found himself in a more spacious room that was clearly meant to be the bridge. Inside, he saw something that honestly didn't surprise him.

The room was clearly used, if the absolute mess in it was anything to go by. It looked like a teenager's room. There was no organization, and no room to walk.

There was one other occupant in the room, another male with shockingly yellow hair and matching eyes, who looked at Bakugo with a startled expression before it morphed into pleasant surprise.

"Oh, hey, you're the guy who Kirishima went to save! We were just gonna take off, but he insisted." The man said, throwing one arm around the captain's chair like he piloted the ship.

Bakugo didn't hear a word of what was said to him. He was, instead, looking around the room and trying to get a rough estimate of the ship.

His final conclusion?

It was shit. Pure, utter shit. There was no redeeming it.

He had seen a small map of the ship on the console in front of the captain's chair, and boy, did it not give Bakugo good feelings about his 'saviors'. The rooms that were making the ominous clunking? Those were the _engines_ and the _shields_. Those were the only rooms that were meant to be _quiet._

He didn't even want to _see_ the weapons.

The door opened behind Bakugo as he clenched his fists, and Shitty Hair's voice rang through the bridge. "Told you that I would save him, Kaminari! Now we have another crew member!" Shitty Hair joyfully exclaimed.

Bakugo's eyes snapped to Shitty Hair.

"What? No, fuck you. I'm not joining your shitty crew." Bakugo spat angrily even as he swayed on his feet slightly.

"Yeah, Kirishima, it may not be the smartest idea to let this random guy join us." The yellow one commented.

"You heard Pikachu. Just get me to the nearest neutral space port." Bakugo grumbled, throwing himself down into the second chair in the bridge.

"Pikachu? Hey, did you know that I was half-Zoltan?" Pikachu remarked, a look of genuine wonder on his face. Bakugo responded to it with a look of pure disgust and contempt.

"Ooh! Ooh! Do you know what I am?" Shitty-hair asked, something close to a fucking _twinkle_ in his eye.

These fuckers were so goddamn lucky he didn't trust that teleporter to work a second time. It was looking more and more tempting to just walk into the League's arms right now.

Bakugo rolled his eyes. "I don't know or fucking care. Half-Rock, or some shit like that. No idea how that would even work…" Bakugo said with disinterest, massaging his arms.

The bridge was quiet for a long moment as the two crew members stared at Bakugo. It didn't take very long for him to get fed up.

" _What the fuck are you staring at!_ " He hissed at the two idiots, who were _still_ staring at him.

"Are you...a wizard?" Shitty Hair asked, bringing his fists up in front of him like a fucking schoolgirl.

This was going to be a long, long journey.

Bakugo groaned, massaging his temples. He could already feel a headache coming on.

"Just...whatever. Pikachu, get us the fuck out of here before dipshits one through five show up." Bakugo ordered, not willing to put up with the current level of bullshit.

"Oh, uh, I'm not the captain. Kirishima is. I don't even know how to fly this thing…" Pikachu said, looking sheepish as he glanced away from Bakugo.

"Yeah, I can't even fly this thing that well. It's...not the greatest ship, I know." Shitty Hair said, also failing to meet Bakugo's eyes.

Bakugo absolutely, genuinely could not believe the situation he was in.

He had been in shitty situations before. He had toughed out those situations with ease. They were always a physical problem, one that he simply needed to train himself to either ignore or push through. Those were simply a problem of physical endurance.

He might throw himself out of this ship before they reached the next planet to get away from these fucking idiots.

"Pikachu, move your ass." Bakugo commanded, rage starting to fill his core.

With a small yelp, Pikachu scrambled to get out of his seat, fumbling a bit and only really getting out of the way after Bakugo pushed him. Sliding into the captain's chair, Bakugo took a moment to breathe.

He just needed to deal with these fuckers for the next few star systems. He could manage that, right?

He probably couldn't.

Eyes flying over the console, Bakugo began firing up the ship for warp. He needed to get to the nearest trading outpost. From there, he could ditch these extras and buy an _actual_ ship with funds in one of his accounts.

 _I need power in the engines, the shields, and the...okay, there's no established oxygen system. Guess that's just...an addition somewhere._

"Oy, Shitty Hair. Where the hell is your oxygen system?" Bakugo asked, turning his head towards the red-haired man who was standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Oh yeah, that! It doesn't show up on there. We jury-rigged it and attached it directly to the reactor." Shitty Hair said, a look of pride on his face.

Bakugo's face quickly drained of color.

You couldn't attach a system directly to the reactor. That was beyond dangerous as well as being stupid. The system could easily overload and explode, taking out your reactor, half of your goddamn ship, and every system that the reactor was attached to. It was a fucking death sentence, only done when absolutely necessary. Not only that, but if your reactor was even slightly damaged, the system goes down _instantly_. Who the fuck built this ship without a room for oxygen?

He was getting off of the ship as fast as humanly possible. It was a wonder that it was even moving.

How the fuck did he manage to get stuck with the two biggest dumbasses in the galaxy?

 _It's only until the next trading post. It's only until the next trading post._ Bakugo chanted in his head to prevent himself from literally exploding.

As Bakugo went to assign power to the shields, he noticed something else- the reactor was already out of power, which didn't make sense, especially considering the low quality of the systems and the fact that he had already cut power to the teleporter room.

"How fucking shitty is your reactor?" Bakugo growled to himself, reluctantly powering down the weapons systems as well before assigning power to the shields again.

Looking back to the power bar, it was revealed to be half full.

"What weapons do you have on this piece of shit?" He directed the question to Shitty Hair, sending a piercing glare his way.

"We don't really have any standard weapons. We kind of made our own! It's like an ion cannon, but even better because it fires enough electricity to cover an entire ship!" Shitty Hair exclaimed joyfully. Bakugo almost broke down, right there. He was fully prepared to kill these two.

These two clearly didn't understand how you were supposed to build _anything_. They probably didn't even read the manual when building an ion weapon. You're not _supposed_ to discharge a lot of electricity- that just meant that you lost all of it, and then it needed to come back. It usually took the same time as a warp jump, and it would be really, _really_ fucking useless in combat. It would shut down a few systems at most, and in the absolute best case scenario it would shut down the shields as well as giving the crew a minor shock. Ion weapons focused a small amount of electricity to do the same job with almost none of it being lost in the process.

And, looking at the display of the ship, it didn't even have drone control, so he couldn't fix _any_ of this unless they had a space suit lying around somewhere, which he doubted based on the size of the ship.

Literally, the only saving grace of the ship was the teleporter. That was the most advanced system on the ship. It was probably made twenty years after the ship itself.

"...We're getting out of here." Bakugo said, feeling almost hollow inside. It couldn't even be considered swallowing his pride to do this. No, it was worse- he was basically ripping his pride out of his body and then cutting it to pieces with a dull knife. Even maneuvering the ship felt excruciating.

"YAY! Field trip!" Shitty Hair cheered, which Pikachu soon joined in on. It did nothing to help his headache, and they continued through his yell to shut up.

He was a galaxy-renowned thief, reduced to this.

As he fired up the FTL drive to their next destination, he could have sworn that he saw another ship warp in behind them, but it was soon lost to the soft glow of hyperspace.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to ask! What's your name?" Shitty Hair asked, tilting his head somewhat. Bakugo was reminded of a dog, in a way.

"Why the fuck should I tell you?" Bakugo bit back without any real venom behind it. He was feeling tired- knowing that they were safe within hyperspace, and would be for the next...twenty hours and seventeen minutes (damn engines) put him in a better mood.

"Well, that's kind of rude." Shitty Hair muttered, looking downcast for a second, before perking back up. "Well, we'll go first, and then you tell us yours! Sound fair?" Shitty Hair said, excited.

"...Whatever, Shitty Hair." At this point, he didn't really care. Kicking his feet up on the console, he leaned back in the chair, which made a concerning creaking sound.

"Great! I'm Kirishima! Kirishima Eijirou! And my hair isn't all that different from yours!" Shitty Hair complained.

"I'm Kaminari Denki! But you can call me Chargebolt!" Pikachu said, puffing out his chest proudly and rapping his hand against it once.

"Sure thing, Pikachu." Bakugo said, completely uninterested and ignoring the " _Hey!"_ that came afterwards.

"Bakugo Katsuki." Bakugo said, closing his eyes. Now he just needed to wait for the realization…

"Cool! Kaminari, do we have any pizza left?" Shitty Hair said, not sounding interested in the slightest about his name. It was almost enough to make him crack an eye open.

They didn't know who he was…?

He didn't care if the idiots didn't know his name. That just meant less time spent gawking at him and more time spent doing something else, away from him. Hopefully it would be something productive, but Bakugo was no fool.

At some point, the distant lull of conversation became background noise and Bakugo slowly slipped into sleep, feeling exhaustion take him over as the adrenaline of the fight and the strain in his arms caught up to him.

 _Meanwhile…_

Midoriya Izuku watched with a worried expression as Tartarus came up on the view screen of the _One For All_.

He sighed. The reports hadn't lied.

An hour ago, the _One For All_ had received word that Tartarus was under attack by the League of Villains, who had completely destroyed the blockade over the asteroid and bypassed the defenses on nearby systems. It was a coordinated attack, and likely one that had been planned for a long time. By this point in time, the League was probably long gone, alongside many of the high-profile prisoners in the prison.

Izuku sighed. So many lives had been lost…

This was major, and not something that could be ignored. This was a personal failure of his own. The defenses weren't perfect enough, and because of it, thousands would suffer.

To his right, he could hear a low growl come from Iida, and a small gasp come from Uraraka on his left.

No one on the bridge spoke, not for a long moment. Even Izuku was at a loss of words. This was a major blow. Even if only someone like Kurogiri had been taken, it would be disastrous.

But if they got _him_...That could prove fatal, for both sides.

Even if Kacchan had been taken, converted, offered a deal- whatever it had been, Izuku would have been able to deal with it. He could muster people together, ships together. They could retake him, and hopefully they wouldn't have to put him back in jail.

But if they got him out...the entire galaxy was at risk.

Throat dry, Izuku managed to give an order. "Tell me the status of the recent warps."

Tracking warp drives were one of the newest inventions, only recently installed on the _One For All_. It was incredibly useful, and the flagship should be the only ship in the galaxy with the technology.

"We're picking up twelve different warps, ten of which seem to have happened when the infiltration started, with the remaining two being very recent. One seems to be a smaller ship, around the size of an Infiltrator, and the other appears to be a civilian cruiser. If I'm being honest, sir, it appears to be around the size of a Tug ship." One of the technicians in the control room informed him.

Izuku nodded, his brain flying through all of the possible plans of action that he could take. He curled his hand around his chin as a force of habit. He developed it years ago to help him stop muttering.

Looking up at the squadron, he nodded to himself. "Send Todoroki and Yaoyorozu after that Infiltrator class. It's likely that it contains the members of the League, and Kacchan should be among them. As for the others, send Ojiro, Hagakure, Shouji, Satou, and Mineta after those ten that escaped. Tell them to divide themselves and their ships as they see fit. Send Jirou after that Tug ship. She should be able to do it on her own." Izuku ordered, forcing himself to clear his mind and focus on the task at hand.

"Understood, sir!" Their communications officer said with a quick salute, quickly relaying the orders.

"Midoriya! May I-" Iida began with a start, a fire in his eyes that just begged to be released, and Izuku nodded.

"You can go work on the engines. You know, you don't have to ask me whenever you make improvements." Izuku said with a little laugh, and Iida spluttered slightly, waving his hands around.

"As the co-captain of this ship, it is absolutely vital that my whereabouts and current objective is known at all times so that everyone shall know where I am should an emergency occur! This is absolutely vital in maintaining crew morale and keeping the safety of the ship at the absolute highest!" Iida ranted, gesticulating wildly.

Izuku merely gave a soft smile- he had heard this speech before. "You can go, Iida. Don't worry about it so much. You're always either up here, in your room, working on the engines, or in the workshop with Hatsume, anyways, so we won't lose you." Izuku said, almost pushing his friend to the elevator.

"Understood, sir! I wish you the best of luck!" Iida said as he began to walk of his own volition. Upon seeing him leave Izuku's line of sight, he let out a small sigh.

He didn't quite enjoy being called 'sir', not by strangers and certainly not by friends. Regardless, everyone did it- they all adhered to rank, even despite the fact that they were friends first. It was a lonely feeling, but necessary.

Turning back to the front, Izuku made up his mind.

"I'm going down there. I want to see how bad the damage is." Izuku said, almost dejectedly. He really, truly didn't want to see how bad the damage is. However, it was both his duty and what he needed to see. There might be people trapped down there, and fighting could still be going on. Communications had cut out shortly after the message had been delivered.

"I'll go with you." Uraraka offered, and Izuku paused for a second, about to tell her not to. However, after a long moment, he caved. He truly wouldn't mind the help, and it would simply cause unnecessary trouble when it could be avoided.

"Sure." Izuku offered plainly, and Uraraka gave him a sweet smile in return. Even today, that still warmed his heart on the inside and caused him stomach to do a small flip.

The prison would be rough to see, and Izuku was almost positive that he would have to fight. What he wasn't positive about was what conditions he would be fighting in. He would need to be prepared for anything. But he was a hero, and heroes always won in the end.

Isn't that what you used to say...Kacchan?

 **And that's a wrap for chapter 1!**

 **This is going to be a ride. I'm rating this one M because of the language. So, if it wasn't obvious on the tin, this is a FTL/My Hero crossover.**

 **To put it in more simple terms, I like space and I like MHA, and FTL was honestly the best representation of how space would be for me, so that's why it's happening like that.**

 **Izuku's story is more of a subplot because his story is, in this fic, already complete. He's taken over All Might's reins. It will still have significance, trust me, but it won't be anywhere near as focused on as Bakugo's.**

 **Next chapter, Bakugo makes some desperate maneuvers against heavy odds, and he gets one step closer to ditching the two idiots who have attached themselves to his side.**

 **Until then,**

 **Anonymuss45, signing off.**


	2. The Earphone Jack

**An Explosive Arbiter**

 **Chapter 2: The** _ **Earphone Jack**_

When Bakugo awoke, it was to the sound of something heavy falling over.

Out of pure reflex, he rolled out of his chair, prepared to fight the intruder, only to hit his head on something metal. Clutching his head, he groaned as he slowly came back to his senses.

 _Where the hell am I?_ He thought to himself, looking around blindly. It took him a second or two, but the shitty walls and cramped space reminded him of his situation.

Bakugo let out a groan. It wasn't a dream, after all.

"Hey, morning, Bakugo! You sleep well?" Shitty Hair asked, still sounding infuriatingly positive.

"Fuck you, Shitty Hair." Bakugo groaned. He was currently nursing a headache and his arms still ached from...yesterday? How long had he been asleep?

Glancing at the ward drive time, he saw that he had been out for eleven whole hours. His eyes widened. He hadn't been planning on sleeping that long. No wonder his head hurt like hell.

"You got any food, or water, in this hellhole? Or, better yet, clothes?" Bakugo asked, wrinkling his nose. It physically hurt him inside to ask for charity, but he reeked. He also didn't want to show up at a spaceport wearing orange inmate clothing.

"Yeah, we got some leftover pizza and some soda. Check the fridge. I got some clothes you can borrow, too. We're probably the same size, right?" Shitty Hair interjected, looking proud of himself. Bakugo's nose wrinkled. He wasn't looking forward to cold pizza and soda in the morning, but he would take what he could get.

Shitty Hair stood up, rifled through a pile of clothes sitting on top of a chair in the corner, and came back with a pair of jeans and a black shirt. Tossing them to Bakugo, he gave the feisty man a smile.

"Those should fit. Sorry if our ship is a little messy, by the way. We've been living here." Shitty Hair said, looking apologetic.

"Right." Bakugo grunted, taking his shirt off to change.

"WHOA! You're just gonna change in here!?" Pikachu objected loudly through a mouthful of pizza, looking mildly horrified.

Bakugo blinked. "Yeah. You got a problem with it, Pikachu?" Bakugo leered at the half-Zoltan.

"Uh- no, but...wouldn't it be, like indecent?" Pikachu stuttered out, looking a bit embarrassed.

"It's nothing you haven't seen before. Look away if it bothers you that much." Bakugo grunted, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it on the back of the chair.

"Whoa, dude, are you okay? You got a couple burns." Shitty Hair said, a concerned look on his face. Looking down, Bakugo saw what he meant.

His skin was blotched in spots, from burns both old and new. He was surprised that he hadn't noticed it earlier. Then again, he had been pretty distracted, and his pain tolerance was through the roof.

"I'll be fine." Bakugo responded shortly, pulling on the shirt that Shitty Hair threw him. Bakugo quickly finished changing without incident, and after grabbing some food, sat back down in the captain's chair.

"If you two are gonna sleep, do it. We won't be there for another few hours." Bakugo said, taking a bite of his food.

"Where is 'there', by the way?" Pikachu asked from where he sat a few feet away.

"A space station. I need to buy a new ship." Bakugo responded, watching the soft glow of hyperspace idly.

"Why?" Shitty Hair asked idly through a mouth of pizza.

"I told you fucks that I'm not staying on this ship. I'm going my own way." Bakugo responded brutally, not caring for their feelings.

"But...I thought that you would stick around, maybe join us?" Shitty Hair pleaded from behind Bakugo. He couldn't see him, but Bakugo already knew what his face would look like; a soft, hurt look, not unlike a kicked puppy.

Good. Bakugo hated puppies. Too much love and attention were needed for them to maybe become useful one day. He would much rather just have a full-grown dog. Those were far more badass than a puppy.

"I'm not gonna stick around and wait for this ship to explode, Shitty Hair." Bakugo responded tiredly.

"Hey, Bakugo, I know that you don't want to stick around, and I know our ship isn't the greatest, but you don't have to insult us every other sentence, you know." Shitty Hair said, a new, more dangerous edge to his voice.

Bakugo cracked an eye open and swiveled in his chair. "I'll do what I want, Shitty Hair, and don't you fucking forget it." He said, letting a few small explosion light in his palm to emphasize his point.

"You say that, but this is _our_ ship, and we're proud of it. I'm not just going to sit around while you insult the best thing that we have going for us." Shitty Hair said, standing up from his chair to emphasize his point.

"Hey, Kirishima, maybe you shouldn't-" Pikachu began, only to be interrupted by Bakugo's raucous laughter.

" _THIS_ is the best thing you have going for you? I've flown better ships as a child. Sorry that I'm not a fucking peasant who bought a ship for twelve credits." Bakugo jeered, almost daring Shitty Hair to try something.

An eyebrow was raised when Shitty Hair's skin hardened into what appeared to be small spikes and his eyes narrowed.

"Say that again." Shitty Hair said, his voice betraying the anger rolling off of him.

"And what if I fucking do?" Bakugo almost roared, rising to his feet as well, the pizza forgotten.

The tension in the room was palpable. Pikachu looked frightened, yet determined, like he wanted to jump in, but knew he shouldn't. Shitty Hair was _angry_ \- Bakugo had just insulted the only thing that he held to his name. Bakugo himself was almost twitching in anticipation. He had been looking forward to someone who could take his explosions, and someone who was a Rock would be perfect.

The console beeped behind Bakugo, and he tore his eyes away from Shitty Hair.

" _Warning: Ship is approaching from hyperspace. Incoming transmission."_

The room was silent for a long moment.

 _Someone has a stronger warp drive than us, and they're following our exact route._

"Get out of the room. I'll take this transmission." Bakugo commanded, his tone leaving no room for arguments.

"But Bakugo, this is-" Pikachu began, before being cut off quickly.

"I know this is your ship, but they're coming from the prison and they have a fast warp drive. That means it's probably a Federation ship, and it probably means that they're after me. I can get us away from them pretty easily, but if they think I'm alone, it'll be better for all of us." Bakugo explained quickly. The quicker he answered, the better.

"Now, go." Bakugo commanded. After a moment, Pikachu nodded, and he and Shitty Hair quickly left.

Bakugo reclined in the captain's chair, kicked his feet up, threw on the most arrogant smirk he could pull off, and pressed the _Accept Call_ button.

A full-size view screen filled up the window to the outside, and Bakugo's smirk faltered slightly for only a moment.

The face of someone he recognized, huh?

Jirou Kyouka filled the window, and damn, did she look more stressed. She had a permanent crease in her forehead, and her eyes looked more vacant than he remembered.

"Civilian vessel, you are-" Jirou began, only to cut herself short as her eyes widened.

" _Bakugo!_ " She hissed, surprise being the primary emotion on her face rather than anger. Good. The less angry she was right now, the more he could figure out what Deku's plans were.

"Bakugo." He responded easily.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here! We thought that the League had taken you!" Jirou exclaimed, pointing a trembling finger at him.

Had she not been eating as much? He knew that those Federation rations were bad, but that wasn't an excuse to avoid it. She'd lost a few pounds from the last time that they talked.

"What can I say? Those extras were chumps. If they didn't pull a fast one on me, I could have taken out two or three of 'em before they even knew what was happening." Bakugo bragged, folding his hands behind his head and leaning back.

"Damn...we didn't account for this. Midoriya was sure that you would be with them. Anyways, if you fought them, then we might be able to negotiate something, lower your sentence." Jirou said, looking a bit nervous. She was going the bargaining route, trying to convince him to come peacefully instead of fighting.

"And what if I don't know anything? Hah?" Bakugo scoffed, leering at Jirou.

"Come on, Bakugo, we both know that you aren't stupid. You picked something up about their plans. We could find the security footage at the prison and learn what happened that way, or you could cooperate and everyone would come out of it happier." Jirou insisted, looking more irritated.

"Hmph. Whatever. It's not like this piece of shit would last till the station, anyhow." Bakugo scoffed, refusing to meet Jirou's eyes.

Jirou let out something like a relieved sigh. "Great. Drop out of hyperspace and we'll beam you onto our ship. We'll discuss more there, and I'll let Midoriya know that you're cooperating." Jirou said, punctuating it with a rare smile.

"Don't bother. This ship has a teleporter." Bakugo said, unimpressed.

Jirous blinked surprised, before giving him a terse nod. "Bakugo? Thank you."

"Yeah, whatever. Don't think I'll make this a fucking habit." Bakugo agreed, rolling his eyes. He pressed the _End Call_ button, and Jirou's face disappeared, leaving only hyperspace.

 _I hate lying. I really do. I want to beat Jirou on my own terms, but I'm no damn fool._

Immediately, the door to the bridge opened.

"Bakugo, are you really leaving?" Shitty Hair asked, worry punctuating his voice.

"Fuck no. I'm not going back to any prison, no matter how cushy it is. Hell, I'd prefer to be in with you dipshits rather than them." Bakugo spat, standing up and making his way to the teleporter.

"Pikachu, you're with me. Shitty Hair, drop us out of hyperspace and teleport us onto the ship. We only have one shot at this." Bakugo commanded, feeling a fire being lit in his soul.

"Wait, why do you want me to stay behind?" Shitty Hair asked, sounding confused.

"I need someone competent to fly the ship. Find somewhere to hide. Just don't fly directly into a nebula, or worse, a sun." Bakugo commanded, firing off a few small explosions in anticipation.

"What's the plan? What are we doing?" Pikachu asked, sounding nervous and confused.

"We're going to steal that fucking ship, that's what."

Jirou breathed out a small sigh, feeling some of her worries lift from her shoulders.

This entire week had been a disaster. First, Koda had been attacked while he was planetside. The two weren't extremely close, but they still kept in contact. He would live, but she worried. Luckily, they had caught the bastard who did it. Some yellow-haired dolt with an electricity Quirk. And then there was Tartarus. They were _still_ reeling from that. The League had hit all of the weaknesses of the prison's blockade, wiping it out in minutes. That fleet was comprised of both Federation and rebel ships, and it had been creating a huge political scandal that Midoriya and the rest of their former class had been dealing with (minus Bakugo, that was, but that loose end had been tied up, and hopefully peacefully).

She knew how Bakugo was. He was feisty, arrogant, brash, and, above all else, _powerful_. She was probably the only person on the ship who stood any chance at taking him out, and they had several people who had been trained at both flight academies and hero academies.

Bakugo was a _monster_ physically, and if they could get his aid against the League, they could end them before they found purchase. That is, assuming that Todoroki and Momo didn't do it first.

It would all depend on the minute after Bakugo teleported, and if he teleported alone. If he fought, then Jirou would be forced to try and detain him. Hopefully, he would be weakened from fighting the League. It was a huge risk, but it was one that they were willing to take.

Looking down at the console in front of her, she opened up the camera for the teleporter room. She would have to drop the shields for Bakugo to get in, but that was a small matter. She doubted that the ship that he was flying had any offensive capabilities. No, the person flying it probably could have destroyed the entire ship in one go, shields or not.

Jirou knew that her ship was one of the best for repelling intruders. Her ship was shaped like an earphone jack, after both her Quirk and her hero name, with the teleporter room being near the tail end. There were several series of blast doors that could be dropped along the way, and she could drain the rooms of oxygen at any time, provided her crew got out of there. There were turrets mounted everywhere, anti-personnel drones out the ass, and she could flood a room with deadly gas at any moment. She doubted that Bakugo would kill anyone, but she didn't want to take any chances.

Sighing, Jirou lowered the shields. She would have to rely on fate to get her through this one.

"I still don't like this plan. If we get out of this, you're going to have a lot to explain." Pikachu grumbled, slapping his teleporter cuff on.

"What do you mean 'if'? That ship's going to be ours. Be a man and fight, and we'll be fine." Bakugo responded, fingers twitching in anticipation.

"Yeah, yeah. It's just that I'm not very strong. I can only discharge electricity around me, and if I let out too much, I short-circuit." Pikachu explained, still looking uncomfortable.

"Pikachu, I don't really give a damn. You're half-Zoltan, so that means you'll be useful to me. Hell, I'll do all the fighting for you as long as you keep pulling your weight. I don't need a liability by my side. Got it?" Bakugo asked/threatened, glaring at Pikachu.

This was serious. If either of the idiots messed up part of the plan, they were all going to be captured.

Pikachu nodded, looking a bit more self-confident. "Got it."

The ship left hyperspace as gently as it probably could, which meant that it rocked worryingly for a moment or two before stabilizing itself.

" _Alright, I'm beaming you two over. Get those shields down as soon as possible, yeah?"_ Shitty Hair said over the com channel.

"They'll be down. That ship is as good as ours." Bakugo said, a feral grin on his face. He wasn't one of the best in the galaxy for nothing.

The seconds ticked by in nervous anticipation, until Shitty Hair's voice came over the comms. " _They lowered their shields. I'm teleporting you over now._ " Shitty Hair said, a hint of nervous excitement in his voice.

Bakugo looked at Pikachu. "It's go time. Don't fuck this up." He said, voice more level and serious. He _needed_ Pikachu's help for this to work, loathe as he was to say it.

Pikachu nodded, and the pair was overcome by the feeling of vertigo that came with teleportation.

When Bakugo came back to his senses, the first thing that he did was glance around. He had only a few moments to move into action.

If Jirou was smart, she would keep only a few people between him at the bridge. That would make it easier to empty any room of oxygen. She would throw down blast doors, flood a room with gas, do whatever was necessary to keep him down and out of the game before he reached her.

And all because he would destroy her in a one-on-one battle.

Bakugo's prediction had been correct. Only a single person was in the teleporter room, supposedly to escort him. A human. Predictable. The upper echelons of the Federation all had Quirks that made them excel over any race that might challenge them.

Pikachu's hands slammed against the wall, and electricity crackled around him. Within a second, his eyes went dull and unfocused as his mind went somewhere else.

Pikachu was a rare breed; his father was a human who had an electricity Quirk and his mother was a Zoltan. Bakugo didn't want to know how it worked. This made Pikachu one of the better electricity users around, or so he had said. Bakugo, personally, didn't really care. He didn't need Pikachu's life story.

Either way, with Pikachu hacking the camera, Bakugo could go full throttle.

Two explosions propelled him forwards, and a third, aimed directly at the hero's face, disoriented the man. With an opening available, Bakugo grabbed the man forcefully by the face and hurled him over his shoulder onto the ground. A quick and brutal kick to the back of the head ensured that the hero wasn't getting back up for a few days.

Glancing at the door, he saw that it was still open. Good. Pikachu was being useful.

Quickly, Bakugo dragged the hero underneath the camera and pulled Pikachu along and through the next door. Upon seeing that the room was empty, serving as more of a hallway than anything else, Bakugo allowed himself to breathe easier.

Bakugo swatted the back of Pikachu's head. "Oy, Pikachu, back to reality." Bakugo whispered, watching as the man regained his focus.

Pikachu blinked for a second, before shaking his head vigorously. He nodded at Bakugo and gave him a thumbs-up before the two proceeded onwards.

Stealth and silence were absolutely crucial for the time being. Until those blast doors went down, they had to be quiet. He was surprised that Jirou hadn't heard that takedown. If she was still letting him walk around freely, then she was more off her game than he thought.

The pair crept around the corner and into the hallway, Bakugo's eyes darting in both directions. Another camera in the corner. He made a small signal to Pikachu, who nodded and placed both hands on the wall again.

As the two progressed through the ship in a similar manner, Bakugo couldn't help but feel a chill go down his spine. It was easy. _Too_ easy. They should have been discovered by now. Either Jirou was truly more trusting than he thought, or she was leading him into a trap.

Bakugo didn't know the layout of the ship. At best, he knew that the bridge, shields, and weapons were all close to the front. Not the most viable of strategies, as any good flak or laser-equipped ship could just waltz through and destroy many of the major systems, but this was a scouting ship. Its engines were close to the back, which they had already passed (and quietly disabled). It had sensors unlike most of the fleet, which was something of a problem for Bakugo.

There was no possible way that Jirou didn't know that they were up to something. The only question was when she was going to act on it, and at this point, Jirou had to know that Bakugo knew that she knew that he was hostile.

Bakugo stood up straight in the hallway that they were in. "Pikachu. We can cut the act now." He said, ears straining to hear the exact moment when things changed.

"What? Why?" Pikachu asked, voice low.

"She knows that we're here." Bakugo responded. _There_.

"'She'"? Pikachu asked, confused.

Bakugo didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed Pikachu by the back of his collar and jumped backwards, letting them both avoid the blast door that slammed down just a few inches from where they were standing previously.

"Damn!" Pikachu hissed, looking distressed. Bakugo didn't blame him. If he were Pikachu, he'd be worried, too.

Running up, Pikachu placed his hands on the door. "It'll take me a minute or two, but I can get the door open. Just cover me while I do it, okay?" Pikachu commanded, and Bakugo scoffed.

"Don't bother." Bakugo said, grabbing Pikachu's shoulder and moving him away from the door.

"CAN YOU HEAR ME, JIROU! YOU KNOW THAT THESE WON'T STOP ME!" Bakugo roared as loud as he could. He needed to get his point across. He was going to be, indisputably, the commander of this ship.

His left hand's fingers formed a circle in the palm of his right, and he fired off his AP Shot.

The explosion that rocked the ship was a satisfying one.

With a low smile on his face, Bakugo roared once more. "GET READY, JIROU!"

Turning his head towards Pikachu, he yelled, "And don't forget the plan, Pikachu!"

Explosions ignited in his palms, and Bakugo began to literally fly forwards, Pikachu scrambling to keep up.

The next part would be the hardest. Jirou knew that they were there- now, they were no longer fighting a single person.

They were fighting a ship.

Jirou winced as she removed her earphone jack from the wall.

She heard him alright. Loud and clear. What she _didn't_ know was that he could bust through a blast door like that. Their sole purpose was to _stop_ blasts. It seemed that logic was thrown out the window when dealing with Bakugo, as always.

Her enhanced hearing was pointless now. Even from over halfway across the ship, the explosion had been loud. Everyone knew that he was coming, and everyone knew that he was mad.

The faces of those around her were pale.

Swiping her hands across the console, she brought up a top-down image of the ship in all its glory, as well as a view of all of the cameras. Pressing a few buttons on the display, she placed a few marks on the image.

As she did this, another explosion rocked the ship, and the icon for another of the blast doors disappeared.

Bringing up a blinking red mark, she placed it on the blast door.

"Bakugo Katsuki is here. If we want to walk away from this situation with our pride and our ship intact, we'll need to fight. This ship contains crucial data; data that can and will be sold for a very high price. The future of the Federation hangs in the balance. I can't do this alone. Are you with me?" Jirou asked, the speech a bit more hollow than her previous ones. Even as she spoke, she could see the despair in the faces of some, and yet, they forced bravery onto their faces and into their cheer.

"We need to stop him- and his cohort- before they reach the shields. We don't know if there are more lying in wait. _I need your help for this_. Funnel them towards the weapons room. Our victory is assured if we manage that." Jirou commanded, extending an arm out towards the only entrance and exit.

"Time is of the essence. I need to let the High Commander know the situation, and I'll be in this room managing the ship's systems. Do not let up a full-force assault at any moment. Now, go!" Jirou commanded, watching as her crew saluted her and began to march out of the room, frightened looks on some of their faces.

If they got Bakugo into the weapons room, they could lock it down, or in the worst case scenario, blow it up. She hoped that it wouldn't come to that, but knowing Bakugo, he would force her hand.

She sighed. All of them had received combat training, but it wouldn't be enough. People would get hurt, and there was nothing that she could do about it.

 _Damn you, Bakugo…_

Never before had she been so angry at a single person, yet hollow at the same time.

What kind of captain was she if she couldn't even protect her crew from one man?

She let out another sigh, feeling the pounding in her head worsen. Touching her ears, she winced when she felt something warm pulsing out of them.

 _No time to feel sorry for myself._

Pressing a button on her console, she began a transmission to Midoriya. After a few long, excruciating moments, he answered.

Midoriya must not have been in the _One For All_ , because she wasn't greeted by the sight of his face. He was probably answering from his personal communicator.

" _Jirou? Is there a problem?_ " Midoriya asked, confused.

"Bakugo was on the civilian ship, along with another person. His cohort is unidentified. He's beamed on-board the ship and is currently exploding his way through my blast doors." Jirou wasted no time in letting Midoriya know the situation. As if to punctuate her point, another explosion rocked the ship and the icon for another blast door disappeared from the top-down view.

Midoriya was quiet for a moment, before letting out a quiet, contemplative sigh. " _How long can you hold out?_ " He asked, worry and concern in his voice.

Jirou was quiet as she did some quick math. "...At best? Maybe ten, fifteen minutes if my plan doesn't work, which is likely. I know it's been a while since you've fought Bakugo, but he looks a _lot_ stronger." Jirou said, biting her lower lip.

Midoriya sighed again. " _Yeah, I know. I'm sending as many ships your way as possible. Jirou...please be careful. Help is on the way. I'll inform Todoroki and Yaoyorozu of the situation."_

" _And Jirou? Please, try to get Kacchan back alive."_ Midoriya pleaded.

There was no way that she could promise that. If she didn't come at him with the intent to kill, she wouldn't get out of this situation.

"...I'll try. Jirou, out." Jirou said, shutting down the com channel.

She sighed once more. _I suppose it had to be this way in the end._

Another explosion rocked the ship, signalling to Jirou that he was getting closer.

Going back to the console, Jirou began to fire up the drones.

 _Now...let's see how long these last. Can you destroy these robots and suffer oxygen deprivation at the same time, Bakugo?_

Bakugo's arms were starting to ache again.

It wasn't a problem for him, but at this rate, he would be worn out before he fought with Jirou. He really must have overdone himself against those League assholes. So many high-power explosions can't have been good for him.

Pikachu was still trudging along after Bakugo, his breath coming out in pants. It didn't surprise Bakugo; Pikachu didn't look like the fittest runner on the block, but that wasn't a good thing. He needed Pikachu moving if he wanted to survive.

"We're getting close! Hurry your ass up!" Bakugo growled behind him, not waiting to see Pikachu's response.

Bakugo heard a small squeaking noise, coming from around the next corner and paused abruptly, nearly making Pikachu run into his back. Pikachu seemed grateful for the break, leaning against the wall and breathing heavily.

"Something's coming. Stay back here." Bakugo ordered, stalking forwards. He would meet whatever it was halfway.

"Whatever you say, boss-man." Pikachu groaned out.

Just as Bakugo was getting close, something large and overbearing rolled its way around the corner. Looking up, Bakugo was met with the sight of an Anti-Personnel drone. Normally, it would be impossible for most people to defeat one in a one-on-one fight, even if they were well-equipped. These drones were built specifically to defeat even the strongest of the Mantis in a fight- tough armor, strong weapons, tougher fists.

Bakugo wasn't most people.

He thrust both of his palms in front of him, and before the drone could even raise its fists, it was met with a thunderous explosion that had Bakugo's arms ringing.

When the smoke cleared, Bakugo was met with the sight of a pile of scrap and a caved-in wall.

Bakugo sneered. "JIROU! YOU KNOW THAT THIS SHIT WON'T WORK! DON'T YOU DARE LOOK DOWN ON ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Kicking the useless drone to the side, Bakugo pressed onwards, ignoring Pikachu's stunned expression behind him.

Before this moment in time, Kaminari Denki had only truly feared for his life about three times, which was, in all fairness, a rarity in this galaxy.

This would mark the fourth.

Who the _actual hell_ was Bakugo Katsuki?

Kirishima had insisted on staying behind to help him, saying " _He'll be helpful! Plus, he looks strong, and we could use the help!"_ Ever since that moment, literally everything had been going downhill.

First there was the almost-fight that they had (which Kaminari was now _certain_ that they would have lost), then there was this giant Federation monstrosity that they were trying to _steal_ , of all things. In fact, Kaminari was fairly certain that he had heard the name Jirou before, and it worried him because he didn't bother learning people's names.

If they were getting involved with something important, like _High Federation_ level important, then Kaminari wasn't certain they Kirishima and him should be getting involved. Bakugo clearly had a grudge against, or, at the very least, knew this _Jirou_ personally.

What had Kaminari concerned was the sheer strength of Bakugo Katsuki.

The man had been blessed with his Quirk, that much was certain. It was incredibly powerful; taking down blast doors like they were nothing, destroying entire robots like they were also nothing, and all of it without a noticeable downside.

Kaminari got the feeling that he was on the winning side of this battle, so why did it give him a pit in the bottom of his stomach?

"Hey, Pikachu, hurry up! We don't have all day." The man in question called out to Kaminari, anger lining his tone.

Kaminari sighed, increasing his pace to match the explosive boy's. Bakugo was always angry for some reason, and bossy, too. His personality was basically crap steeped in sewage. But, for now, this was something that they had to do.

"PIKACHU! THE VENTS!" Bakugo suddenly shouted, and looking ahead, Kaminari could see why.

The external vents to space had started opening, draining the rooms of oxygen. Kaminari wouldn't be surprised if it had started all around the ship, especially now that the drones had started going after them. It was a good strategy, he guessed. It was kind of simple, though. Drones didn't need oxygen to fight, and humans did.

"RIght! On it!" Kaminari said, throwing his hands against the wall.

He wasn't very strong, but in this way, he could be useful.

As electricity crackled around him, he almost instantly zoned out, getting tangled in the mess of electricity. His ability to hack things didn't quite work as easily as someone might think; he could access the power if he was directly touching it, and he could manipulate what power went where. The problem was that he didn't know perfectly which wire did what. He was essentially defusing a bomb each time he tried it. Did this wire give something power or just count down a number?

There hadn't really been much purpose for him to learn how to do it before, so he hadn't bothered, but he really, really wish that he had started earlier.

One wire in particular seemed to be heavy on the electricity. If he pulled this one…

Cutting the power to the wire, he moved on in case that didn't do it. Bakugo would wake him up if he had done it.

 _This wire looks important,_ he thought as he cut power to it.

A sharp pain hit the back of his head, and Kaminari blinked, returning to reality.

"Come on, Pikachu. Let's get out of here." Bakugo said, panting slightly.

Looking forwards, Kaminari saw the shredded scraps of several more drones, although they seemed to be handled with slightly more care. As in, there wasn't a giant hole through the rest of this ship in a huge display of force.

Kaminari took a step, feeling his head swim a bit. He shook his head and tried to play it off, but Bakugo must have noticed.

"Oi, Pikachu, we're almost there. Don't hit that limit of yours." Bakugo growled, turning forwards and setting off at a good pace with a grimace on his face.

Kaminari was dumb, but he wasn't stupid. He knew how to observe his surroundings.

There was no way that he could have missed Bakugo's hands shaking slightly, or the fact that he stopped using his explosions to move.

Jirou sighed as she watched the vent to space close.

He had found himself an electricity user. That's just perfect.

This situation couldn't be going any worse. Had it been Bakugo alone, she would have detained him by now. However, his cohort was making everything far more difficult than it needed to be. With the ability to directly override her systems, she wouldn't be able to easily trap the two of them. In fact, they could easily trap her if things took a turn for the worse.

A minute ticked by without another large explosion. Then two.

All she needed to do was hold out until they either got tired or reinforcements arrive. Deku hadn't given her a direct time of arrival, but if she could hold out for just a little longer, she could make it. What she needed to do to make that happen was take out the dolt with Bakugo.

Jirou pressed a finger to her wrist, where she had her com. Normally, it would be in her ear, but with her Quirk, it didn't quite work out well.

"This is Captain Jirou. There are two intruders on the ship, as I told you before. I understand that you wish to take down Bakugo Katsuki, but right now, our priority is his cohort. If there is a chance to disable him, take it. Jirou out."

An explosion came over the comms, and Jirou's face paled.

" _JIROU! Keep the fucking extras out of my face! Come fight me, you bastard!"_ Bakugo's voice roared over the comms. As if morale wasn't already low enough…

"God damn it, Bakugo…" Jirou muttered to herself.

There was nothing more that she could do. He had reached her crew, and had likely taken out their advance guard. Really, they were meat shields, as tasteless at the term was. She didn't like to objectify or belittle the importance of her crew, but it was a small group meant to take as many hits as possible, for how much it meant.

All she could do now was wait. She couldn't endanger her crew by draining oxygen, and she couldn't even think about bringing gas into the mix. The turrets were also a no-go. She had held off on doing it earlier, as Midoriya had requested, but now, she didn't have the chance to do it.

She could only prepare herself to fight.

Bakugo roared as he tossed one of Jirou's useless crew at another one of the peons.

Now his blood was pumping! Adrenaline was rushing through his veins, and anger was in his soul. This was the first time in seven goddamn months that he could go wild. It wasn't because these guys were strong; no, it was because there were enough of them. Not a lot, but enough.

One strong hit would take down one. He was even being nice to them and barely bothering to use his Quirk.

Bakugo brought his leg around in a fierce kick, landing solidly against the head of one who had stupidly charged him. Continuing with the motion, but folding his leg back, his knee impacted the head of someone who was trying to attack him from behind.

Even Pikachu was managing to hold his own, although it looked like they were...targeting him, somewhat.

Did...did Jirou think that Pikachu was more dangerous than him?

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING!" Bakugo screeched, firing off two explosions behind him and propelling himself forward, flying over the meat bags on the floor. Reaching Pikachu, he lashed out with a quick and devastating kick, slamming another of the peons against the wall. Firing another explosion below him, he dodged a laser that came flying towards him which impacted in the chest of the poor peon below him.

Bakugo let off a feral grin. This was truly fun.

Firing himself forward, he dodged another laser with quick, precise explosions and kicked the offending gun out of the peons' hand. From there, it only took a single punch, fired quickly, to disable the peon.

Looking over to Pikachu, Bakugo watched as he grabbed a knife that was thrust at him, barely avoiding getting cut, before electrocuting the peon, who collapsed to the floor.

Bakugo let out a breath, centering himself a bit. That was it for the peons here. They seemed adamant about defending this area, so they _had_ to be close to the shields.

The entire fight, Bakugo had also gotten the feeling that he was supposed to be nudged in a certain direction. The very first thing that he had noticed upon entering the room was that the peons were arranged in a certain way; defending one door, but leaving another wide open.

Bakugo was a smart man. He knew when someone was trying to get him to do something, and Jirou was being pretty transparent about it this time.

Right now, he and Pikachu were on the left side of the ship. For this type of ship, assuming that Jirou knew what she was doing with the corkscrew nature of the ship, the weapons systems were in the middle, the most defended area. The door that was undefended was on the right of where they were now.

"Come on, Pikachu. Let's take down these shields." Bakugo ordered, ignoring the slight seizing in his arms. They were almost done with their mission. That was all there was to it.

"Yeah." Pikachu said plainly, like his mind was barely there.

Looking back to him, Bakugo noticed that Pikachu's eyes were unfocused and weary, like he was about to fall asleep. _Dumbass is probably only a few steps away from his limit._

"Hey, Pikachu, snap out of it. I'll only need your help one more time, got it? Stick with me." Bakugo urged. After snapping his fingers in front of Pikachu's face once or twice, he seemed to zone back into reality. He gave a quick thumbs-up, and the pair continued to move.

Entering the next room, Bakugo was met with an enormous shield generator, humming very quietly. Exactly as a shield generator should.

Pikachu let out a low whistle. "So we just gotta blow this reactor up and then we can do the thing, right?" He asked, tilting his head at Bakugo.

Bakugo snorted. "If we want to die from the explosion, then sure. This room is built to sustain this type of reactor specifically. Even if the whole ship exploded, this room isn't going down. These ships are the pride of the Federation- they have twelve-layered shields, and the reactor needs to be strong enough to handle that." Bakugo explained, stalking forwards to the console while keeping an eye out for anyone around the area. It wasn't likely that he was getting attacked any time soon, as his instincts were quiet, but it never, ever hurt to be careful.

Bakugo's hands glided over the console hesitantly. He hadn't really dealt with shields before; he knew the science behind them, and he could fix a leak if necessary. Didn't mean that he was an expert. He knew how to fix the shields on the _King Explosion Murder_ well enough, but those were simple, two-layered shields. His ship's main focus was on its cloaking and its teleporter. It was special in that it went straight through shields. Or, it _was_ special in that way before _Deku_ took it.

"Hey, Pikachu, you know how to work this thing?" Bakugo asked, exasperated.

"How am I supposed to know? I've never even seen something like this. I barely even know how to manage our own shields." Pikachu complained, keeping an eye out around them.

Bakugo snarled. Grabbing the com that he had stolen from one of Jirou's peons, he exploded it audibly in his hands. At this point, she could probably hear him, but he didn't want her to know exactly what was going on.

Bringing out the com that was in his ear, he began to broadcast video.

" _I don't really know, man. I know how to do our own shields, but this stuff looks foreign. You're on your own."_ Shitty Hair's voice came through the com, just barely loud enough to hear. Bakugo couldn't really be too pissed at him; he honestly didn't expect him to know. He was glad that Shitty Hair wasn't totally incompetent and could read the room, keeping quiet when Bakugo didn't directly say anything.

Still, though, that didn't keep this entire situation from _pissing him the fuck off._

" _DIEEEEEEE!"_ Bakugo roared at the top of his lungs as he exploded the entire console. The power to the shields flickered for a moment, before whirling down to a stop.

The room was silent for a long moment.

"Why is your solution to everything to just blow it up, man…" Pikachu lamented, throwing his hands behind his head.

"It fucking worked, didn't it?" Bakugo snorted.

Pikachu was quiet for a moment. "I mean...I guess…" He said, trailing off.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's just get the fuck out of here before Jirou gets backup." Bakugo growled.

They were a single room away, which meant that Bakugo would have to fight Jirou, one-on-one. Pikachu might be in the background as an extra, too.

Bakugo knew that he would win, indisputably. But that didn't mean that he underestimated his old classmate. They had both grown since then; the major difference being that she did it in a regulated environment where he did it in battles for his life.

That was the difference between him and his old classmates. It would be a cold day in hell when he said that any of them were strong, but each of them were dangerous to fight in their own way. Jirou could overwhelm you and pin you down from a distance, using sound as her own mode of offense and defense. This would mark the first time that they met since then, not counting the holding cell of the _One For All_.

Bakugo gave himself maybe another five minutes before reinforcements showed up. He needed to be gone from this place before then.

Bakugo walked up the stairs that connected the shields to the next room. Opening the door to the next room, Bakugo noticed that he was in another hallway of sorts, with a heavy-duty blast door at one end and two other entrances leading to the hallway, likely the weapons room and the oxygen.

"Pikachu, this is the home stretch. We take out Jirou, and we get the ship. Stick with me." Bakugo urged. He only needed Pikachu's help for one more moment.

Pikachu stumbled while standing slightly, but after a small moment, determination entered his eyes once more and he nodded. "I...I can keep going. Let's just get done with this." He said, letting off a small spark of electricity around him.

Bakugo nodded, raising his fists.

Just a little bit more. He would end this in one fell swoop.

"AP Shot!" Bakugo roared, making a ring with his fingers and firing off an explosion.

The blast door in front of him crumpled inwards, a horribly large dent in it, but still standing firm. Bakugo's mouth curled into a sneer.

Pikachu's hands touched the wall.

"AP Shot: Missile Drive!" Bakugo roared once more, pouring as much strength as he could into the explosion.

The door exploded inwards, leaving a large cloud of smoke and dust that blocked Bakugo's view of the bridge.

Bakugo was silent, eyes narrowing as he waited. If she did as predicted…

A dart came flying out at high speeds, flying close to Bakugo. A small explosion sent it flying into the wall, only a few inches from Pikachu's face, which happened to be the original target.

 _Not quite what I was looking for, but at this point, I'll fucking take it._

Within seconds, the dart found friends. As more and more objects emerged from the smoke generated from his palms, Bakugo found himself somewhat hard-pressed to keep up. She was fast, and good at what she was doing.

As it stood, Bakugo was on the defense, his hands moving at a flurry to keep both himself and Pikachu from harm. Now, they were playing the waiting game. How long could Jirou keep them on the ropes until Pikachu hacked his way inside the ship? How quickly could Pikachu hack? Faster than the reinforcements?

Amidst the sound of his explosions, Bakugo heard something. It was faint, but unnatural. Not quite the sound of something else thrown his way, but not a sound that Jirou herself would put out.

So what could…?

Bakugo's eyes widened, and in a split second decision, he threw himself to the left.

The energy bolt hit him directly in the stomach.

Bakugo let out a roar; of what, he wasn't quite sure. Pain, adrenaline, anger? Some combination of the three? Either way, it wasn't quite human. It sounded, to his ears, more animalistic than anything else.

The sudden whirring of objects stopped, and Bakugo doubled over somewhat before snapping straight back up. Now wasn't the time to show weakness, damn it!

The smoke quickly cleared, and Jirou's surprised and frightened eyes met Bakugo's enraged and pained ones. No more than twenty feet of distance separated them, and yet, it seemed trivial to Bakugo.

All he could see was the finish line, and he was just a few explosions away from it.

"I'm...going to kick your goddamn ass." Bakugo said, breathing somewhat ragged. Jirou levelled the gun at him again, not taking the shot.

Bakugo stalked forward, keeping his eyes locked with Jirou. Her hand never faltered, but she didn't fire a shot.

Sixteen feet of distance now separated them, and Bakugo was in the doorway to the bridge.

"I'm not...going to kill you. You're the only one of those _fuckers_ who didn't...show me _pity_." Bakugo spat, breathing coming in somewhat raggedly.

"Bakugo…" Jirou said, letting out a long sigh and lowering the gun slightly. Her eyes snapped open, renewed determination in them, and the gun was once again levelled with his head.

Twelve feet of distance now separated them.

Just enough. Enough for his plan to work. He would like a few more feet, but he needed to keep up this act.

Electricity crackled behind him, and Jirou's eyes left his to look at Pikachu for a moment. It was enough.

Amidst her small cry of " _You_ _!"_ , Bakugo made his move.

Explosions lit in the palm of his hands and he pushed off of the ground, firing off a series of explosions above and below him, creating a tornado of smoke and dust as his body blindly barrelled towards Jirou.

"HOWITZER IMPACT!" Bakugo roared, continuing his explosions even as he heard an overwhelming noise reach his ears, even as he felt his power be repelled somewhat.

"SHITTY HAIR! NOW!" Bakugo roared, praying that his cry was heard.

If one were to look outside the window of where this hectic scene was happening, they might see a small, civilian ship, barely large enough to be considered a Tug class, swerve out from behind a particularly large asteroid and fly towards the mammoth of a ship that was many times larger than itself. If they continued watching for a few seconds longer, they would see a large burst of electricity explode out from that small ship, almost as large as said ship, and pass through the large ship with ease without shields to stop its travel.

It was at this precise moment that Bakugo Katsuki was in the air, untouched by the electricity passing through the air, and Kaminari Denki was defending himself from it with a small shield of his own electricity, crackling against the foreign force.

Unfortunately for one Jirou Kyouka, she was not as protected from this attack.

As Bakugo felt the noise attacking him disperse, he grinned a feral grin and continued his explosions.

Flying towards Jirou, Bakugo let loose a shout filled with pride and anger, and kicked her directly in the stomach.

Jirou, who was already shaking from the electricity, doubled over, body almost spasming as it tried to deal with the overwhelming pain. Without letting up his assault, Bakugo brought a large explosion across her face, sending her flying backwards onto the ground.

Stalking forward, Bakugo ignored the pain spiking throughout his body that would have brought a normal man to his knees.

Jirou tried to pick herself up from the ground, but as she did so, her arm spasmed and she was brought back down.

Grabbing her by the hair, Bakugo picked her up, bringing her to eye level. He leered directly at her, and she gave a leer in response. Jirou's hand went forwards, throwing a clumsy jab into Bakugo's stomach wound as her earphones clumsily tried to stab him.

Letting out a small grunt of pain and a ragged breath, Bakugo threw his entire body into kneeing Jirou directly in the stomach, watching with an almost grim sort of satisfaction as her face contorted in pain.

Tossing her down on the ground once more, Bakugo winced slightly as she groaned. He genuinely didn't enjoy doing this. It was fighting someone who was already down, someone who couldn't even pose a challenge anymore. But _damn_ , he needed to vent his anger towards Deku somewhere. Jirou just happened to be the first unfortunate soul to cross his path.

"Stay down." Bakugo ordered, feeling himself stumble a bit where he stood as his footing faltered.

Jirou rolled onto her side, still obviously feeling the effects of the electricity and the small but brutal beating that he had given her. Sitting up, she gave him a hateful and defiant glare.

And yet, surprisingly, she began to laugh.

Bakugo's eyes widened, and he clenched his fist. He was the one winning. In fact, he was the winner of this fight, so what goddamn reason did she have to be laughing like that? Was she fucking laughing at _him_?

"You're not getting out of here. Not on this ship. I've already locked down all of the controls." Jirou bit out, still laughing. Bakugo's eyes widened.

He turned to Pikachu, who was walking into the doorway, fully ready to demand him to open up the locks on the controls-when he saw exactly what shape he was in.

Pikachu's eyes were completely unfocused, and the stupidest smile was stretched across his face. He was giving a thumbs-up with both hands, and he was making an incredibly inane sound.

All in all, he was useless.

Bakugo turned back to Jirou, rage filling his vision. This wasn't how this was supposed to play out. This wasn't how _any_ of this was supposed to play out. This ship was _his_ to steal, damn it! He couldn't have it taken from him in his moment of triumph!

He had tasked Pikachu with re-enabling the engines when Pikachu maybe had a little bit of juice in him. Why hadn't he predicted that Jirou would lock down the controls! It was something so small that had ruined his plan!

Almost as if on cue, a Federation ship warped in from space, and then another. One of them was another of his old classmates'. Jirou gave him a smug smile; she had lost the battle, but won the war.

Bakugo did the one thing that he could think to do to erase that smile from her face. He raised both of his hands and fired the strongest explosion that he could make in that second.

When the smoke from his explosion cleared, Jirou was fully slumped, eyes closed and not moving. Still breathing, but not moving.

Bakugo was _beyond_ pissed.

"Fucking _die!_ " Bakugo roared, firing as many smaller explosions at her as he could. In his rage, he almost missed someone's voice in his ear.

" _Hey, Bakugo, you gotta calm down! I'm warping you guys back!"_ Shitty Hair's voice came over the com in his ear.

"Don't you _fucking dare!"_ Bakugo raged.

And yet, in a moment, he was overcome with the intense feeling of vertigo that came with teleportation.

The second Bakugo teleported back to the ship, he stormed out of the teleporter room, fully intent on continuing the fight with _someone_.

Throwing open the door to the bridge, Bakugo searched out Shitty Hair, who had just finished typing in a command. The ship was soon bathed in the light of hyperspace, but Bakugo noticed none of it.

No, his rage was overwhelming his logic in that moment.

Shitty Hair stood up to meet Bakugo, and just in time. Bakugo threw a punch his way.

It was blocked, and so was the next one.

"Bring me back, you fucker! I wasn't done!" Bakugo seethed, the anger in him only growing as Shitty Hair continued to deflect his blows with what seemed to be staggering ease.

"Yo, Bakugo, calm down, man! You're hurt! Let me help you!" Shitty Hair pleaded, inflaming Bakugo's rage even further.

"Shut the _FUCK_ up, you asshole! Let me hit you!" Bakugo said, even as his arms slowed down even further.

"Bakugo, stop!" Shitty Hair said, forcefully this time. He still didn't stop blocking Bakugo's punches.

Finally, Bakugo let his hand fall after one final punch. His head was swimming with emotion, thoughts, pain.

Shitty Hair was quiet for a long moment.

"B-Bakugo?" He asked, almost hesitantly.

"RAAAAAHH!" Bakugo screamed, trying to convey all of the emotion he felt in that moment, trying desperately to vent that rage.

Bakugo was clutching his own hair desperately when his vision finally filled with black and his feet betrayed him.

Izuku Midoriya sighed as he stepped back onto the bridge of the _One For All_. He had been sighing a lot more lately, he noticed.

The trip to Tartarus was uneventful. What he learned could have been done through a report, although it was nice to stretch his legs and talk with Uraraka in a place that wasn't the _One For All_.

The trip wasn't his reason for sighing.

He had recently gotten the report back from Iida, who had left hurriedly after Jirou after Izuku had told him about the situation. Kacchan had wreaked havoc on the ship; every blast door on the left wing collapsed, seventeen anti-personnel drones destroyed, every single crew member wounded. None were dead, thankfully, but the situation was still dicey with Jirou.

She had several broken ribs, many more broken bones beyond that, a bruised neck, minor whiplash and many burns. She was recovering slowly, even with the aid of the Quirks of the doctors on the _One For All_ , where her ship was brought back to. She was still unconscious, and, according to the doctors, her slow recovery was due to previous over-exertion, exhaustion, and a lack of solid sustenance.

On top of all of this, Kacchan had gotten away again. As much as Izuku wanted to pursue him and get him back safely under his control, Izuku knew that that would be impossible right now.

He had more pressing matters.

Todoroki and Yaoyorozu had reported that they were prepared to attack and board the _Infiltrator_ class ship just a little while ago, and he had been forced to decline for a very specific reason.

Kacchan wasn't their biggest problem right now, or even the League of Villains.

The biggest enemy to the galaxy was out of prison.

And he couldn't, under any circumstances, endanger his friends. He couldn't even bring Kacchan or Todoroki into it, assuming that the former would even be willing to help.

This was his problem, and his alone.

The _Infiltrator_ class ship had fled to a Mantis controlled sector. That was their next destination.

The crew of the _One For All_ didn't know their mission, but they would willingly do anything, even die, for their captain and High Commander.

And Izuku would most likely go to his grave carrying that guilt if he failed here. So, he hardened his heart, gave a warm, empty smile to his friends, and set course for the Mantis sector, hiding his fear behind a smile.

It's something of a coward's tactic, wouldn't you say, Kacchan?

 **And that's an end for chapter 2! We're already getting into the thick of things. It should slow down for a little bit, but rest assured, you'll get no shortage of action from me.**

 **This chapter was a little intense, I know. I want to say this now: I have nothing against Jirou. I actually like her as a character, and didn't really want to write the scene to be as, well,** _ **mean**_ **as it ended up being. I wanted to showcase Bakugo's personality at this point; he's pent up, in pain, and volatile. He's going to explode when things don't go his way, literally and figuratively. He hasn't had a major positive influence on him in a long time. He's been out of a prison that he was stuck in for a long time (for him) for a single day, and he's willing to do almost anything to keep it that way.**

 **I would also like to address one final thing: Bakugo calling Jirou by her name. This was done on purpose. Bakugo was held on the** _ **One For All**_ **before he was in Tartarus, and when given the chance, all of his old classmates came and visited. I'm going to create a scene for the people who made the biggest impression on him, with Jirou being the only one of the group who didn't look down on or pity him. It** _ **will be expanded**_ **, I promise.**

 **Next chapter, a much-needed discussion is had and the group reach the space station that is supposed to mark Bakugo's departure from the group.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Anonymuss45, signing off.**


	3. Attack on Aeon

**An Explosive Arbiter**

 **Chapter 3: Assault on Aeon**

Bakugo's mind was muddled.

He was in pain, he could tell that much; sharp pain that had him arching his back and gritting his teeth as he swam in and out of consciousness.

Occasionally, he would hear voices, although there was no telling if he knew any of them, or if they were even real. His brain was exhausted, much like his body. Half of what he heard could have been a fucking hallucination for all he knew.

As he slept, and rested, his mind darted in and out of dreams. Some of them were nonsensical; chess pieces darting around a board, battle tactics that were burned into his brain, the endless reverberations of explosions. Others were memories, fleeting and painful.

These memories were as quick to go as they were to arrive. Many of them were of his old classmates. One was of the first man that he had killed in a rage. The most persistent memory, the only one that recurred, was of Jirou.

It was a recent event, just before he was moved to Tartarus. She had stood in front of the laser gate separating him from the rest of the ship. He had glared as she sighed and sat down in front of it.

She had been silent for a long time before he had finally snarled and asked her what she wanted.

She had been quiet for a moment, before sighing again and telling him that she couldn't understand him, wouldn't try to understand him, and wouldn't pity him if hell itself swallowed him. Immediately after saying that, she had stood, gave him a hateful glare, and left him to the wolves.

It instilled probably the largest sense of respect in him since fighting Round-face, as twisted as other people would find that.

This memory came back three times, more muddled each time. It was the only real memory that he had of Jirou. They had never really interacted before that, not by their own volition and barely at all when forced.

Once, he saw her lying on the ground, not moving or breathing, and a certain sense of guilt filled him.

It wasn't until the ship left hyperspace that his body finally relaxed somewhat, falling into general unrest rather than roiling with a fever.

Kirishima sighed, looking at the makeshift bed that he had made by connecting two chairs and several pillows. On top of it lay Bakugo Katsuki, the enraged enigma that he had decided to let on board their ship. Said enigma was currently sweating as he twisted and turned, just like he had done for the past twenty or so hours.

Kaminari had fallen out of his stupor just a few hours after coming back from the failed assault, although he had immediately crashed. He was both physically and mentally exhausted. He had only woken up a little bit ago, getting a gargantuan amount of sleep. Even with it, he was still tired, saying that he was planning on staying on the ship.

That left it up to Kirishima to get supplies for his friends. It was a pretty manly job, being relied on like that!

...Well, maybe he was overselling it a bit. It wasn't like they had a lot of money, and even if Bakugo had some, it wasn't like he was awake to give them the information to get into whatever account he had.

Kirishima also got the feeling that Bakugo and Kaminari's faces would be plastered everywhere. This space station was neutral, but that didn't mean that bounty hunters weren't there. A neutral zone basically meant a place without a strong Federation or rebel presence, which really meant that it lived by its own laws. Criminals ran amok and anyone with a pulse and cash was welcome.

It would be a super manly thing for Bakugo to do if he just walked into one of these, completely fearlessly, but Bakugo was knocked out right now.

Their ship exited hyperspace and Aeon Station came into view. Kirishima breathed a deep breath. It wasn't that he wasn't used to dealing with these types of people. No, far from it. What he wasn't used to was leaving the ship basically defenseless. He knew that the ship was kind of bad, but it was all that Kaminari and him, and now Bakugo, had.

Kirishima's ship was cleared for entry easily, and he docked slowly. There were clear flows of traffic with these stations; getting into a collision was immensely dangerous, especially in places like these. Even the lowest of scum knew to keep in order here.

Kirishima docked the ship with a little bit of trouble. It, once again, was not the best ship around, and as much as it hurt to admit, he wasn't the greatest pilot. It was kind of unmanly of him.

Opening up the back door to the ship, Kirishima made his way out, shaking Kaminari to wake him up again and letting him know the situation. Once he got a bleary nod from his friend, Kirishima made his way out.

Stepping out of the dock and into the 'station' part of the station, Kirishima was instantly hit with the smell of the slums. These sorts of space stations could barely be considered ships; they were closer to floating, armed cities made of stone, metal, and for the lucky few, dirt.

Kirishima rubbed the back of his head and narrowed his eyes as he walked into the slums. There was no telling what could happen here; he needed to be wary at all times. Gang fights, robberies, riots; anything and everything was fair game.

The more dangerous you looked, the fewer people messed with you. That was the rule around these parts. So, to the effect, Kirishima unbotted the shirt that he had on. He wasn't going for the whole 'public indecency' look, though. He kept his shirt on. If he looked strong to others, they would be less likely to fight.

Kirishima only had two goals here: Get medical supplies and get fuel. He had some credits, enough for both the fuel and the supplies, assuming he found a good seller. People tended to over price out here.

As he walked, Kirishima spotted someone who looked slightly less mean than most people around. "Ah, sir, do you know where I…" Kirishima trailed off as the man continued walking, completely ignoring the question.

Kirishima looked down for a moment, slightly hurt, before snapping his head up and resolving to find someone else to answer his question.

This went on for half an hour.

Kirishima was beginning to get disheartened as he continually was rebuffed. His determination was stronger, though! He would ignore all of these unmanly people and find it himself! That was one of the qualities of a man, probably!

Pumping his fist, Kirishima set off at a good pace, working his way up into the upper levels. The higher up you were, the more likely you were to find better people. You often got charged more, but it was a gamble that Kirishima was willing to take.

As he walked up the steps that would lead him to the upper levels, he took a moment to really admire the work that was put into this place. Obviously, it wasn't in the best of conditions, but this place must have been beautiful when it was first made. The buildings were towering, with plenty of space between and above. They were grimy now, and covered in graffiti, but it was still an impressive piece of architecture.

He could appreciate the little things like that.

His shoulder accidentally made contact with someone as he walked, and he offered a quick "Oh, sorry," to the pink-haired girl. Without paying any attention to the incident, he quickly checked his pockets, finding his wallet still safe and sound. Moving on, it quickly left his mind.

The ground shook slightly, and Kirishima stopped, senses on high alert. After a second, the shaking stopped, and after a few more moments of nothing, Kirishima settled down.

"Must have been an asteroid or something…" Kirishima muttered to himself, throwing a hand behind his head and looking around absentmindedly.

There really wasn't much in the way of what he was looking for. He might be forced to buy some of the overpriced fuel from the stores near the hangar.

As he walked, Kirishima kept checking the names of the stores. Some of them would be completely useless to him; stores for ammunition, food, or jewelry. For the life of him, he couldn't fathom why anyone would want to buy jewelry out here.

There were a shocking amount of bars, he noticed. Kirishima didn't really approve of them. Where was the manliness in drinking your sorrows away? A real man dealt with his issues and fought through his fears.

Although...wouldn't that be a little hypocritical of him?

Shaking his head to clear the thought, Kirishima turned down another road. Then, suddenly, as though it had been destined to happen, he saw it. A sign, shining mediocrely through the darkness, reading PHARMACY in all caps, except the P was shorted out. It ended up reading as HARMACY, which got a short chuckle out of Kirishima.

Buttoning up his shirt, he walked through the door. He was a man, not a savage. He had the decency to button up his shirt. Looking around the store, he noticed just how barebones it was. Basic supplies like antibiotics, gauze, and others sparsely lined the store. There wasn't any of the advanced stuff; no recovery gel, no stasis pills, nothing.

Letting out a small sigh, Kirishima went through his mental checklist. Bakugo was burned, exhausted, and in a lot of pain.

Checking the price tags, Kirishima was pleasantly surprised and somewhat suspicious when it wasn't overpriced. Deciding to risk it, Kirishima grabbed a bottle of antibiotics, painkillers, gauze, burn cream, and aspirin. There was really only so much Kirishima could get, especially in a place like this. This area, although a little better than the slums down below, was still covered wall to wall with gang members. He had seen at least four drug deals happen while looking for this place, and although he had wanted to step in and stop them, he knew that it would just make him an enemy of the gangs and the police in the area, assuming there even _was_ police.

Had he been a hero, he could have done it easily. He would have been able to walk in, stop the drug deals, and make the city a better place. But he wasn't a hero, and now never could be.

Kirishima cursed himself and shook his head, forcing himself to think about something else. This wasn't the time to reminisce about the past.

Walking up to the counter, Kirishima placed the medicine so that he could check out. The kindly old man behind the counter gave him a small smile, which Kirishima returned with a full-fledged grin. The old man repressed a chuckle, scanned Kirishima's items, and threw them into a bag.

As Kirishima grabbed his bag, the old man gripped his wrist gently.

Kirishima's mouth opened slightly in shock, and the old man gave him a small, reproachful look. "Kid, are you new here?" He asked, not unkindly. Kirishima nodded.

The old man sighed. "Yeah, thought so. Be careful of the cops around here. They look for any excuse to beat on someone." The old man warned, giving him a harsh look.

Kirishima was momentarily stunned before giving the man a large smile. "Thanks for the warning, sir! But you shouldn't worry about me. I can handle myself." He said confidently.

The old man sighed but didn't say anything else. Taking that as his queue to leave, Kirishima turned and exited the store, giving a worried look to the man behind him. There had to be a reason that he gave that warning aside from just worry, right?

On top of that, Kirishima hadn't seen any cops so far, and he'd been here for almost forty five minutes now. It was a little worrying. If they were really as prevalent as the old man implied, he should have had an encounter by now. In fact, he hadn't even seen any fights happen, let alone any arrests.

Just what was going on in this station…?

The ground shook again, and this time, it was worse. Much worse. Kirishima was almost thrown from his feet, and it looked like everyone else walking around had the same problem. Some people, who were already drunkenly stumbling around earlier, actually did fall.

Wide-eyed, Kirishima looked up and above the glass separating the station from space.

He genuinely couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was a neutral station, out of the way and well defended! It wasn't a strategic point or even good for a supply run. Kirishima chose it because it was the closest, least important one!

A great number of ships dotted the sky above him. Menacing, angry-looking red ships, ones bearing a familiar mark.

Alarms began to blare through the station.

Why the hell had a fleet of Mantis arrived?

He would recognize the signature ships of the Mantis anywhere. They were super well-equipped, too- they looked like they had come for war. But at the same time, they seemed beaten up. Several of them had scorch marks or large holes in their hull, probably from missiles. What the hell had he missed?

Lasers began to rain fire upon the shields, and Kirishima bit his lip. He wanted to go down to his ship and get out of there, but that would be mostly impossible in this current situation. They would be shot down before even leaving the station.

Kirishima bit his lip as layer upon layer of the shields went down. The shields were sturdy; very sturdy, in fact, but that didn't mean that they couldn't be broken. There was too much being fired. It would only last so long.

As the tension mounted, people scrambled to move around Kirishima. He was pushed around a little bit, jostled as bodies came into contact with him. Up above, the shields broke, and the fire stopped suddenly. Kirishima held his breath.

As blue teleportation lights popped up all over the city, the station finally made a counterattack. A series of lasers, energy weapons, and missiles fired out from the station, breaking through several of the ships and causing massive explosions to erupt among them. In the first volley, at least three of the beat up ships went down.

Ships could be seen flying out from the station, all bearing the mark of pirates or bounty hunters. Without any preamble, they began to engage the ships above the station, and Kirishima felt a spark of hope.

Turning his attention down to the city, he decided that there wasn't anything that he could do to help with the battle out there. Since he couldn't help out there, he would help down here.

As he looked down, he wished that he hadn't.

All through the city, the Mantis we tearing through the populace with ease. They were meeting resistance from the gang members, but it was light at best. These Mantis clearly knew what they were doing, and many of them even seemed to have cybernetic enhancements if the metal on their bodies were any indication.

Kirishima needed to help them. And yet...just like that time so long ago, his legs felt paralysed.

All around him, death and destruction raged. He could see it happen, and he could stop it from happening. And yet he simply sat around and waited. Waited for it to come to him.

Kirishima grit his teeth, even as fear and anxiety drilled a hole in his stomach. He thought back to that moment, so long ago, when his feet couldn't move. Ashido had been the one to save the girls back then and get the villain apprehended, but that was before high school. That was eight years ago, and Ashido wasn't here now. Hell, for all he knew, she was a hero already, and he wasn't.

But...if there was something that he could attest to, it was that he wanted to be a man. He needed to be a man if he wanted to help himself, if he wanted to help everyone around him.

The screams of those in fear echoed around Kirishima, and he stuffed the medicine in his pants pocket before losing his shirt.

 _If I can't be their hero...then at the very least, I need to be a man!_

With a loud roar, Kirishima ran forward, prepared to fight.

And fight he would.

He found the first Mantis before it found him. With a hardened arm, he crashed down upon its head with a leaping punch. It was dead before it knew what was going on. He didn't have the time to feel remorse.

Unaware of the man with three crosses on his head that he had just saved, Kirishima pressed onward, searching for the next target. Before he could take another step, however, he heard a noise behind him.

Whirling quickly, Kirishima brought up his arms, hardening most of his body in anticipation. A barbed limb screeched as it raked across his arm, and Kirishima winced at the sound. The Mantis behind him roared, bringing down its limbs in a flurry of blows that had even him reeling somewhat. The Mantis was _strong_ ; it was pushing even him back, forcing him to take steps backwards out of the sheer strength of the blows.

Finally, he noticed an opening. The Mantis was attacking quickly, but it was focused entirely on him; it wasn't paying attention to its surroundings.

As Kirishima took another step back, he threw his left arm backwards as hard as he could. His defense suffered a bit; he took a small cut to the cheek where his armor had temporarily fallen. In the end, however, it was worth it. The lamppost that Kirishima had struck mercilessly fell forwards, crushing the Mantis beneath its weight.

Kirishima dropped his hardening, allowing himself a moment to breathe. That was one downside of his Quirk- he couldn't breathe normally when he used it. When his skin hardened, it tightened, restricting the air flow around his neck. On top of that, it burned up some of his stamina. Of course, he could always just not use it around his head, but that was his most vital portion.

Kirishima paused for a moment, looking around. He looked up, back at the battle in space above.

 _Wait a second...What's really going on here?_

Kirishima hadn't thought about it before, too wrapped up in his own thoughts, but he had just realised that something wasn't quite right around here.

The Mantis weren't even bothering to attack the station anymore. In fact, they were simply just defending themselves from attacks, as successful as that was. The shields were even mostly back up, and as he watched, the station destroyed another ship. The fleet had lost a quarter of its size, so why were they still here? Why were they even here in the first place?

Too many things weren't adding up. This station was useless to the Mantis, but they had tried to capture it without destroying it anyways. They weren't attacking the shields, so even if they had cloning, they couldn't get more Mantis inside the station. The ships were beat up, but they had clearly come with the intention to fight such a large station.

What the _hell_ was going on?

Behind him, Kirishima heard a gutteral gurgling, and in a panic, he swung around, bringing his arms up to protect himself-

But, as it turned out, it wasn't needed.

The gurgling came from a Mantis who appeared to be dying, whose head was covered in a viscous fluid. It looked like...was that acid?

Looking up from the dead Mantis, he locked eyes with someone that he genuinely never expected to see again.

"Hey! You need to be more careful! Don't just look outside, get to a ship and get out of here!" The pink haired girl, one that he really should have recognized earlier, yelled in his direction, looking around for more threats.

Kirishima's eyes widened as an indescribable feeling filled him. Laughter bubbled its way out of his throat.

"Hey, what are you laughing about? This is a serious…" The girl trailed off as she looked at Kirishima. Yellow eyes with black sclera widened.

"Hey, Ashido. It's...been a while, huh?" Kirishima said, holding back a myriad of emotions from surfacing.

"K...Kirishima?" She asked, unsure of herself.

Kirishima nodded, a smile broadening across his features.

"Why are you here?" Ashido asked, a look of pure surprise on her face.

"I could say the same thing of you! This is the last place that I thought that you'd be!" Kirishima exclaimed.

Neither of them moved or said anything for a long moment, both unwilling to answer the question.

"Do...do you have a ship?" Kirishima asked hesitantly. He wasn't sure if the other two would approve of this decision, or even if it would work, but it was something that he had to know.

Ashido, with a strange look on her face, shook her head.

"Would you like to come with me, then?" Kirishima asked hopefully, almost desperately.

Ashido reared back somewhat in surprise, before a wolfish grin split her features. "Come on, Kirishima, inviting a girl back to your ship after seeing her again for the first time in years? You're a real rascal." She said, laughing.

Kirishima's face heated up. "Hey, you know that's not what I meant by that! Do you want to get out of here with me or not?" Kirishima asked, crossing his arms and looking away.

Ashido's laughter trickled down to a stop, and he looked back at her. She had an unusually serious look on her face.

"This place has been my home for a while...but I don't know if it'll stay that way, at this rate." Ashido said, looking down and biting her lip. "I'll go with you."

Kirishima nodded. He didn't know why she had lived here, or how she hadn't gotten into the hero course. By all standards, she should have gotten in with flying colors. But it wasn't his place to ask, and it wasn't his place to judge. So he nodded, accepted the answer, and the two set off as a pair.

It wouldn't be easy to get out of there, but Kirishima had the feeling that they could do it. As long as they worked together, they could leave safely.

Kirishima panted as his fist crashed into another Mantis. He was getting tired, no doubt about it; he had been able to keep his Quirk going for less and less time. Luckily, his natural Rock heritage made him more resilient, but that didn't mean he could just take hits like that.

The Mantis crashed to the floor with a screech, and he looked over to Ashido to see how she was doing.

As he turned, her Mantis fell to the ground, both of its legs covered in acid and its face pounded into the ground. Kirishima gulped- Ashido had an unusually serious and angry face on.

As though she could sense that he was looking at her, Ashido's eyes wandered up to meet his, and he was suddenly struck by just how much the two of them had changed. Her eyes were different, somehow; more aged, more weary. He was sure that his weren't much better.

The ship rocked, shaking Kirishima from his stupor. Looking up, he found that the Mantis had renewed their assault at what seemed to be a suicidal rate. Almost all of the fleet seemed to be converging on the station at a slow rate, and it looked as though they were on a collision course.

"Come on, we have to hurry! We're almost there!" Ashido called out to him, and Kirishima nodded, hurrying along after her. The two ran, pushing past a small group of people and entering the dock.

Kirishima's eyes swung around wildly. _Where is it, where is it…! There!_

"Over here!" Kirishima called out, running towards his ship. Ashido made a noise of confirmation, following closely behind him.

Reaching the console that controlled the actions of his ship from the outside so that he could reliably get in, Kirishima punched in the code that he'd been given upon entry and lowered the ramp. Worried, he looked around. He wasn't the only one with this idea, it seemed. Most everyone else had already left or were leaving. At this rate, they'd be the last ones in the dock.

The ramp finished lowering, and Kirishima bolted inside, Ashido on his heels.

The second he opened the door to the bridge, he had to block a punch.

"Kaminari, it's just me!" Kirishima yelled, holding the fist where it was.

"Oh! Sorry, bro. There's a _lot_ of shit going on out there, you know?" Kaminari said, sounding tired and worried. It was understandable. Kirishima had been out there.

"Yeah, it's cool. Come on, let's get out of here." Kirishima said, pushing past Kaminari and settling into the captain's chair.

"Hey, uh, bro, who's the chick?" Kaminari asked, leaning towards Kirishima and keeping his voice down.

"Hm? Oh, that's Ashido. We knew each other when we were kids." Kirishima whispered back as he fired up the engines.

"Yeah, I get that, but why is she here?" Kaminari asked, glancing back fearfully at Ashido as she looked around the bridge.

"She didn't have a ride and the station is about to explode, probably." Kirishima answered back as the ship rose from the ground.

"Oh yeah, where's Bakugo?" Kirishima asked, looking around the bridge. The spiky haired man was nowhere to be seen.

"He woke up a bit ago, said he needed to stretch out and look at the ship. He was in the engine room the last time I saw him." Kaminari said, throwing himself into the co-pilot's seat.

"Wait, Bakugo?" Ashido suddenly asked from the back of the room.

Kirishima and Kaminari both paused in what they were doing and gave her a small glance.

"Bakugo, as in Bakugo Katsuki?" Ashido stressed. Kirishima turned his attention back to piloting, trusting Kaminari to answer.

As Kirishima pulled out of Aeon Station, Kaminari easily responded, "Yeah, that's the one."

An explosion lit up behind them, rocking the entire ship, and Kirishima's eyes widened. Turning on the rear viewer, he could only sigh as he watched several of the Mantis ships crash into the station, each inciting an explosion that eventually chained to engulf the entire station.

Such a waste of life. What an unmanly way to go.

"Oh...Bro, when you said that the station was about to explode…" Kaminari said, looking for all intents and purposes as though he had lost someone important on that station.

Ashido's face betrayed no emotion. It was simply blank as she watched it happen.

"Ashido...Are you okay?" He asked, turning the rear viewer off.

Ashido was quiet for a long moment. "...Yeah, I think I'll be fine. That place holds no good memories for me." She said, lowering her head.

Even though she said that, she still held that melancholic tone. Was she really so alright with that?

"Ashido…" Kirishima said, unsure. He didn't know what to do in this situation. He didn't know what he _could_ do in this situation. He didn't know how to console someone who was grieving, or even if this someone even _was_ grieving.

There was a moment in which the three collectively decided to be quiet for those who had inevitably died in that attack.

And then, as with all things in life, Bakugo Katsuki broke that quiet.

The door slammed open and there Bakugo stood, wrench in hand and absolutely covered in grease. He looked like he needed a shower and then some.

"Hey, Shitty Hair, what the hell just…" Bakugo questioned angrily, trailing off when he locked eyes with Ashido.

Ashido tensed up, falling into a quasi-battle stance, to which Bakugo just laughed slightly.

The wrench fell from Bakugo's hands, making a distinct _clang_ the the mostly silent bridge. "Mother _fucker_." Bakugo stressed, a smirk overtaking his features.

"I don't know what the hell it is about you two idiots, but you sure have a good way of bringing my fucking past to my doorstep." Bakugo grumbled, leaning against the wall.

"Wh- that's it? Not even a hello? Come on, Bakugo, you wound me." Ashido teased, almost flirtatiously. Kirishima's eyes darted between the two.

How the hell did Ashido know Bakugo?

"I would give you a hello if you were anyone important to me. So far, no one's heard the phrase come out of my mouth." Bakugo jeered, red eyes angrily boring into Ashido.

Ashido laughed, and it almost looked like some of the stress fell off of her shoulders. "Glad to see you haven't changed, Bakugo." She said happily.

"Fuck you, I've changed! I'm someone completely different from back then!" Bakugo protested, pointing an accusing finger at Ashido.

"Hmm...Are you sure about that?" Ashido asked, putting a finger to the corner of her lips.

The ship entered hyperspace, and before Bakugo could retort, Kirishima spun his chair and looked at the pair.

"I think that we're owed an explanation." Kirishima said, voice deadly serious.

Bakugo snorted. "Why?"

"Because there's a lot going on around you that's leading me to think that you're an unmanly person, Bakugo, and if I'm to keep on letting you stay on my ship, I need answers from you." Kirishima responded, staring Bakugo directly in the eyes.

After a few long seconds of staring, Bakugo scoffed and looked away. Kirishima sighed.

"You know, I could always tell you." Ashido said in a sing-songy voice. All eyes in the room snapped to her.

"Don't you fucking dare." Bakugo almost growled, but Ashido didn't let up.

"I know all of Bakugo's story; everything he did, why he's chased by the Federation, _everything_. I'll tell you everything that the news could tell you and then some." Ashido said, a mischievous look in her

eye.

"Don't fucking bother. All that the news spews is crap. Might as well be propaganda." Bakugo grumbled.

"Then why don't you tell them yourself?" Ashido asked, and probably for the first time since they had met, Bakugo didn't have a direct response instantly.

That was when Kirishima noticed it.

The wrench from before hadn't fallen from Bakugo's hands out of surprise. Bakugo's hands were shaking from the exertion of just keeping his arms crossed, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his face. His forehead was creased somewhat in the middle, probably from pain.

"Yeah, that's a good question. Why _haven't_ you told us?" Kaminari pressured, and the crease in Bakugo's forehead got worse, this time probably from annoyance.

It was a long moment before Bakugo spat out, "Fucking fine, I'll tell you. My version should at least be fucking _accurate_ , unlike Raccoon Eyes' over there. Get up, Shitty Hair. I'll need to sit down for this one." Bakugo ordered, almost falling into the captain's chair when Kirishima got up.

"Where do I fucking start…"

Bakugo's face twisted into a grimace.

"Here's a good spot. Why don't we start where all of my fucking troubles started, eh? Fucking _Deku_." Bakugo growled, and Kirishima almost jumped.

Deku? As in, the High Commander of the Federation's Grand Fleet? The #1 hero, Deku?

How the hell did Bakugo know this guy?

Who was Bakugo Katsuki to the galaxy?

"Strap in, you fucks. This is gonna be a long one."

"Deku is probably the shittiest person that I've ever had the displeasure of talking to. When we were kids, he would follow me around, everywhere we went, and he would hold this small fucking smile the whole time. The little fucker lead me to believe that he was Quirkless. Made fun of him relentlessly for it at the time." Bakugo said, looking down. He didn't feel regret for that. Hell, if anything, he was glad that he did it. It let him know that the little fucker wasn't perfect, and it let him know when the smiles were fake.

"I doubt that any of you idiots have heard about this, but there was a clear moment in time when Deku grew a spine. When we were in middle school on our home planet, Musutafu, I was attacked and held hostage by a villain made out of sludge. I could fucking obliterate him now, but at the time, I couldn't fight back. Deku ended up coming in and distracting the fucker until All Might came and destroyed him." Bakugo's eyes narrowed somewhat in rage.

"Still hate the fucker for doing that. Could've handled myself." Bakugo muttered.

"Wait a second, you were born on Musutafu? So were Ashido and I!" Shitty Hair exclaimed joyfully.

"Yeah, me too!" Pikachu said, giving Shitty Hair a high-five.

"Yeah, I don't give a damn." Bakugo responded shortly, and Shitty Hair's face fell somewhat.

"Anyways, after that incident, I resolved even more to get into U.A, and be the only one from my shitty school to do so. And I got in easily. Top of the combat trial, second-to-top of the writing test, top of the piloting test. Damn Glasses…" Bakugo muttered, feeling old anger flare up somewhat.

"The point is, I passed with flying colors. And you know who else passed? That shitty fucking _Deku_. I wanted the title of being the only one from my school to get into U.A, and Deku took that from me. It pissed me off, incredibly." Bakugo continued, feeling more indifferent about the situation than anything. It was old news; something that he had gotten over a long time ago. It didn't matter as much to him now.

"That's when I learned that Deku had a Quirk all along. For the past eleven years, he had been lying to me. On top of that, it was _stronger than mine_. It was bullshit, completely and utterly. It wasn't something that I could just accept." Bakugo said solemnly, looking directly at the other three.

He wasn't sure if it was the pain he was still experiencing or the fever that he had felt earlier, but his emotions were dulled right now. Less rage than he expected came forth when he thought about the subject. He just couldn't muster the energy.

Bakugo's eyes snapped back from where they had become unfocused, staring at the others. "Our time at U.A went on. Deku got better and better at controlling his Quirk, and I got better at fighting. We were still nowhere close to rivals. I could kick his ass in a heartbeat. But…" Bakugo trailed off, deep in thought.

"The Unforeseen Simulation Joint." Raccoon Eyes supplied, and Bakugo looked at her. She had a downtrodden expression. Here's where the story got a bit worse.

"...Yeah. USJ. We were attacked by villains, at least one hundred and fifty. Ten-to-one odds, in our case. They were all small-timers, except for two or three. They were back-alley muggers, people with Quirks who didn't really give them any special abilities in life, or just people who were looking to cause havoc." Bakugo explained, feeling a fond feeling in his gut from that time. He had been able to just let loose without worry for the consequences.

"Their goal was to kill All Might. They fucked that one up, royally, obviously, but they also hurt our teacher." Bakugo explained, somewhat uncomfortably.

"USJ was rough for several people. It was an experience that a lot of people weren't prepared to deal with emotionally, and some of us didn't really bounce back from it." Raccoon Eyes explained uncomfortably.

Bakugo was quiet for a long moment. "What she's saying is that she wasn't ready to deal with villains yet, and when reality hit you like a truck, you dropped out." Bakugo expanded, a foul feeling in his stomach.

Raccoon eyes didn't say or do anything to refute him, but her eyes lowered. Shitty Hair's eyes widened, and Pikachu looked equally surprised.

"Time went on. We had the sports festival, which I won with ease. Not that the people around me made it difficult. After that, nothing of any real importance happened until our final exams." Bakugo said, narrowing his eyes.

"For our final exams, Deku and I fought against All Might. We didn't beat him, but we escaped. The goal was to either run and fight another day or win and take our victory. I wanted to do the latter. Deku wanted to do the former." Bakugo grit his teeth.

"That fight went as well as a fucking house on fire. Deku kept getting in my fucking way. If he had made himself useful and just fucking started hitting All Might, we might have even won!" Bakugo raged, feeling anger swell within him. That fight _still_ pissed him off.

"Whoa, calm down there, big guy." Shitty Hair joked.

"Fuck you, I'll do what I want!" Bakugo said, calming down anyways.

"Where was I...The final exams, right." Bakugo said, feeling his head pound.

"Once we did those, we went to a special training camp over summer break. Our stay there didn't last long. We were attacked by the League of Villains, and I got kidnapped." Bakugo said shortly. His face twisted into a grimace. This was the part of the story that he didn't want to tell.

Raccoon Eyes seemed to pick up on what came next, because her eyes widened and she got a goddamned _pitying_ look on her face.

Bakugo sneered. "All Might arrived at Kamino Ward and fought. He fought, and he took out the person behind the League of Villains." Now, the two idiots seemed to catch on, because Shitty Hair reared back somewhat and a surprised look entered his eyes. As for Pikachu? He got a depressed look on his face.

He expected them to know about this. Hell, the entire galaxy knew.

"All Might won, but he died shortly after the battle." Bakugo spat out.

And it was all his fault. He had been in the way, a _nuisance_ , and he had refused to go back with Deku when he called out.

And because of it, All Might had died.

Bakugo allowed the information to process through their heads. Didn't mean that he had to like it. Various emotions were passing through their faces, but there was one that was most prominent: Pity.

Bakugo sneered an ugly grimace. He fucking hated pity. If there was anything that he hated, it was people thinking that he was weak. He showed that he was strong, damn it, so many times. And yet, all that anyone ever did was _look down on him._

""Don't give me that fucking look." Bakugo nearly snarled, feeling somewhat subdued.

Almost instantly, the three sobered up. They still had some pity in their eyes, but it seemed that they remembered exactly who they were talking to.

"Bakugo...If you want to talk about it-" Shitty Hair began, only to be interrupted by a few small explosions in Bakugo's hands.

"I don't give a damn. Didn't then, don't now. So just forget about it." Bakugo snarled, intent on keeping them focused.

Shitty Hair nodded, clearly not convinced. "Right...Gotcha."

Bakugo growled, but didn't comment any further. He really didn't have the energy for it; running on almost no food and after an upgrade to the engines, he couldn't find it in him to push it much further.

"After that...I had a disagreement with one of my classmates, and I needed to see what the galaxy was really like for myself. So, I left U.A, and with enough time, became a thief." Bakugo said, tweaking the truth. That was generalized so horribly that all three of them could probably tell that he was hiding something, but hopefully they would catch the hint and not push it.

He wasn't telling these nobodies his story. Everything he had said had hit the news; it was all something that they could have learned with ease. A quick search online would give a timeline of those events in much more detail than Bakugo had given. The last thing he needed anyone to know was his true reasons for leaving U.A.

Shitty Hair nodded, looking to be deep in thought. Pikachu just looked slightly confused, and Raccoon Eyes had a strange look on her face.

Bakugo sighed, leaning back in his chair. All that talking had drained him. "Now, I'm fucking tired. I'm going back to sleep. Shitty Hair, wake me up if there's anything important that needs to be beaten up." He said, standing up and flopping down on the area that had been reserved for him to sleep.

Four people was too many people in this bridge, Bakugo noted. It was cramped. The mini-fridge, combined with the three chairs (one of them being used for clothes) and the impromptu bed that had been made for him was really almost all of the space. There was a small bit of walking room in-between, but that was really it.

Shitty Hair seemed to have an epiphany at that moment, because he shot up like a rocket his blown up under his ass. "Oi, Bakugo, I got you some medicine! Here, stay where you are. Actually, can you take off your shirt first?" Shitty Hair said, barraging Bakugo with words that he could barely process.

For a second, Bakugo was confused as he tried to understand that long spiel of words.

"Just sit up and take your shirt off for me, will ya?" Shitty Hair asked again, slower. Raccoon Eyes whistled, which got her an annoyed glance from Shitty Hair and a snort from Pikachu.

Bakugo blinked, but did as told. He wasn't an idiot; he knew that what he had needed to be treated, or it could be bad for him. He had learned this the hard way. Even the most simple of medicines would help in this situation; antibiotics, burn cream, anything to keep the infection at bay.

As Shitty Hair pulled out some supplies from his pants (Bakugo hadn't even noticed how ripped up his clothes were), Bakugo noticed Raccoon Eyes staring.

"See something you like?" Bakugo asked jeeringly.

Raccoon Eyes laughed. "You wish. No, you just...have a lot of scars. How many fights have you been in, Bakugo?" She asked inquisitively.

"More than any of you fucks, that's for sure, and more than anyone else in that fucking class." Bakugo responded easily, wincing as Shitty Hair rubbed some burn cream over his multiple burns.

Pikachu, apparently not interested as well, took a glance. Letting out a low whistle, he winced. "Damn, dude, I knew you were roughed up, but I didn't know that it was that bad. How the hell did you work on the engines like that?" Pikachu asked, a look of genuine concern etched onto his face.

Bakugo grit his teeth, even as Shitty Hair touched one spot a little too roughly. "High pain tolerance." Bakugo responded angrily.

Shitty Hair leaned back, setting the burn cream to the side. "Alright, that should be good. I think we have some soup in here somewhere, and we can always just heat up some water." Shitty Hair said, already digging through the mini-fridge that they had.

"Aw, look, he's making food for him! They're basically married already." Raccoon Eyes said, a mischievous look in her eyes. Pikachu apparently found it hilarious.

"If you don't shut the fuck up, then I'm gonna beat the shit out of you, burn or not." Bakugo raged, igniting several small explosions in his palm to prove his point. He had to ignore the pain that went through his arm by the single action.

"Right, right. Still, though, I don't think I've seen Kiri do this much for someone. When did you grow up so much?" Raccoon Eyes asked Shitty Hair, suddenly serious.

"I've had some time to think since I saw you last. Plus, Bakugo's a super manly and cool person! If anyone here deserves it, he does." Shitty Hair said completely earnestly, and Bakugo blinked, taken aback.

He genuinely wasn't expecting that compliment. He kind of figured that Shitty Hair had this kind of ideal of being a manly person, but Bakugo didn't know that he fit it.

Bakugo's lips curled into a ferocious smile. "Damn straight, I'm manly. Didn't work as hard as I did to be a pussy." Bakugo said.

"See what I mean!" Shitty Hair helpfully supplied, and Raccoon Eyes looked back and forth between them before letting out a short laugh.

"You two are really kind of alike, huh?" Raccoon Eyes laughed, a small smile on her face.

"Don't compare me to this idiot!" Bakugo complained, even as Shitty Hair held out a small cup of easy-to-make noodles. Bakugo gave him an incredulous look, but he wasn't one to deny food.

Bakugo began to eat, but slowly. He knew better than to eat too quickly, even when his stomach was begging for more. He would just hurt himself if he did that.

The bridge was quiet as Bakugo ate. The four of them seemed to all be caught up in their thoughts- what they were, Bakugo had no idea and didn't want any idea. He would like to keep what brain cells the two idiots hadn't killed off yet.

Bakugo finished eating quickly, and after downing an antibiotic that Shitty Hair offered, rolled over and faced the ceiling. With the relative quiet of the bridge and his already tired and complaining limbs and mind, it wasn't difficult to go to sleep.

When Bakugo finally drifted off, it was to the much quieter whirring of the engines.

Kirishima sighed as he watched Bakugo drift off. He hadn't lied when he said that the explosive man was manly, but he could still chill out a bit more.

Turning his attention to the newest member of the bridge, Kirishima's mouth set itself in a hard line. "Ashido...It's been a while. Bakugo's explanation cleared some things up, but there's still some pieces to the puzzle that are missing." Kirishima said, voice level and serious.

Ashido blinked, then let out a small giggle. "Man, you're serious about this, huh? Didn't know you cared that much." She said, attempting to lighten the mood, and she did, to an extent.

"You're probably wondering how I ended up at Aeon, right? I'll tell you- but you have to promise that you'll tell me how you ended up here, okay?" Ashido offered, pointing a finger at him jokingly.

"Deal." Kirishima said, completely confident.

"Hey, dude, are you sure?" Kaminari asked, a tinge of worry in his eyes.

"It's fine. She should know. It's only fair right? I'll tell you everything, as long as you tell me everything. That's my promise as a man." Kirishima said proudly, jabbing his thumb above his heart.

Ashido sighed and shook her head with a soft giggle.

"So...I might as well start with where Bakugo left off with our story. After I dropped out of U.A, I went home and just went to a normal high school. But then, after All Might died...I just didn't know what I wanted to do with myself anymore. So, I took a ship and I began travelling around without telling my parents." Ashido said, dropping her head. "I still haven't spoken to them." She added, almost as an afterthought.

Kirishima prevented himself from wincing. Even though he knew why she had done it, hell, he had done it himself, that still didn't make it a good thing to do.

"Eventually, I realized that you couldn't get yourself anywhere in the galaxy without money, and lots of it, so I travelled around from station to station, trying to find a good place to get a job. I ended up stranded at Aeon after someone stole my ship, so I took a job as a waitress and got myself a house." Ashido said, wrapping up her story cleanly. It was a simple one; Kirishima probably could have guessed it himself.

"Now, what about you?" Ashido asked, eyes seeming to bore into Kirishima as an intense expression overtook her face. Kirishima almost gulped under the intensity of her stare.

"My story is kinda similar to yours." Kirishima admitted, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. When Ashido didn't say anything, he took it as a prompt to continue.

"I tried to get into U.A, but got rejected after I failed the piloting test. I thought it would be the easiest, so I studied the least for it...Anyways, I met Kaminari through the test. He failed the piloting test too, and eventually, he got the idea to travel around the galaxy and do our own thing. I thought it was a great idea, kinda like the story of the first ever heroes; you know, the ones in the first Kestrel ship, who started from nothing and took out the rebel flagship?" Kirishima paused to take a breath. The idea had sounded super manly at the time, but it didn't really work out.

"So, we saved up and bought this ship the first chance we could. We've been updating it and upgrading it ever since when we can. It's...not the greatest, but we did our best." Kirishima admitted.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me, what's the name of the ship?" Ashido asked inquisitively.

Kirishima paused. Kaminari's eyebrows scrunched as he thought.

"We, um...don't really have one?" Kirishima offered nervously. Ashido's face lit up in surprise.

"Once you finish telling your story, we're naming this ship. And no but's!" Ashido said, stopping Kirishima before he could protest.

Shooting a helpless look to Kaminari, the other man shrugged, looking equally helpless. _Damn you, Kaminari!_

"A-alright…" Kirishima conceded, if only to get the aggressive female off of his back. She looked like she could and would murder him if he disagreed.

Kirishima coughed slightly, then launched back into his story. "We travelled around a bit, going between planets and trying to see what we could do to upgrade our ship. We actually won the teleporter in a gladiator match at some planet in the Outer Edge. Me and Kaminari worked together and beat up a _lot_ of people." Kirishima said fondly, remembering the memory. It was, single-handedly, the coolest thing they had ever done.

"We got attacked a couple times, and we got pretty roughed up, so we made our own weapon. It's an ion one, and it works well enough to take out a Zoltan-level shield in one go. Kinda leaves us without a lot of power after, though, so…" Kirishima trailed off. He knew why Bakugo might have had his doubts about the weapon. It was very high-risk, and dangerous.

"After a long time of us travelling, Kaminari kind of got framed for an international incident. Don't ask, because neither of us know how. Some high-up person had been attacked by someone with electricity while in an environmental meeting on some planet. It was someone named Koda, and apparently he was important." Kirishima explained, watching as Ashido's eyes lit up at the name.

"Wait, Koda's been hurt? And people thought it was _him_?" Ashido asked, confusion evident in her eyes.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Kaminari protested, a look of wounded pride on his face.

Ashido suppressed a giggle. "Koda was in my class at U.A. We were all training to become pro heroes, and if he stuck around for all three years, then he's definitely smart enough to avoid getting hit like that. No offense, but you two probably wouldn't be able to get to him. What happened after that?" Ashido asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Well, I came up with a plan to break him out of the prison that he was in, but by the time I warped, there was already a prison-break happening. That was when we met Bakugo." Kirishima explained.

After that, he recounted everything that had happened after that, with Jirou and her ship. Jirou was also apparently someone in class 1-A, as Ashido helpfully pointed out.

As Kirishima finished recounting his story, Ashido nodded, eyes closed. When she opened them again, there was fire burning in them.

"Alright, now we need to name this hunk of scrap metal!" Ashido said cheerfully, pumping a fist in the air.

"Yayyy…" Kaminari monotoned, looking as bored as humanly possible.

"Okay, who has ideas?" Ashido asked, a fully expectant look on her face.

There was dead silence in the bridge.

"...Okay, so we don't have anything right now. That's fine. We can work with that." Ashido said, sitting back down with a thoughtful look on her face.

"We tried naming the ship before, when we first bought it, but Kaminari and I couldn't make a decision. I wanted to name it Red Riot, after what my hero name would have been, but we both decided against it after a bit. Just didn't seem right." Kirishima said, lowering his head.

It didn't feel right because he didn't deserve the name, but he would never tell her that.

"Hmm, yeah, I see that. But what would be a good name for it…" Ashido said, trailing off.

"How about Ground Zero?" Kaminari pitched in, sounding bored. Kirishima and Ashido looked at him, surprised. Bakugo shifted in his sleep.

"What? If you don't like it, we can always go for something else." Kaminari offered, looking mildly pressured with the stares on him.

"No, it's good. A great name. What made you think of it?" Kirishima was quick to interject.

"Well, I was thinking about how this was sort of how we're starting out, right? Like those people in the Kestrel? So that made me think of the starting point for a disease, which is patient zero, but that doesn't sound good. The next obvious jump was Ground Zero, what with Blasty McSplodes' Quirk.." Kaminari explained, messing with his hair a bit with a bored expression on his face.

Sometimes, Kirishima forgot that his best friend was something of a genius when it came to words.

"Alright! Ground Zero it is!" Ashido cheered, pumping a fist in the air again.

"Wait, we're actually going with that?" Kaminari asked, confused.

"Why not?" Ashido asked sincerely, an inquisitive expression on her face.

"Well...it just seemed kinda quick, you know? Like we should put more thought into it." Kaminari reasoned.

"Every ship has a certain name, Kaminari. That was one of the first lessons that we were taught at U.A. Every ship's name is unique to it, and that ship embodies the meaning of the words. There's a reason that ships like the _One For All_ have their names. When that ship's name is found, both the inhabitants and the ship will know, and they will be forever intertwined." Ashido explained with an air of wonder to her words.

"Now, we're gonna show the meaning of our ship to the next person who crosses us, right? Plus Ultra!" Ashido cheered, standing up and pointing a finger to the sky and just barely not touching the ceiling.

Kirishima smirked. "That's the most manly thing you've said all day! Plus Ultra!" Kirishima cheered, mimicking Ashido.

The pair looked to Kaminari, who was still sitting.

"Yeah, I'm picking up what you're putting down." Kaminari said with a small smile on his face, rising to his feet as well.

"PLUS ULTRA!" The group cheered as one.

 _An hour earlier..._

Izuku watched, mouth set in a hard line, as the Mantis fleet that had been attacking the _One For All_ entered FTL. At least one hundred ships had attacked him; fully prepared for war, all singing their own praises as they unleashed fire.

He had destroyed at least sixty before they realized exactly what they were up against.

Unfortunately, this meant that those forty were now off in the galaxy somewhere, and not everyone had the ability to fight such a large fight. The _One For All_ was a gargantuan warship; their shields hadn't even been broken by the attacks. No other ship could even think about fighting like that.

Now, he had a choice.

He could leave the Mantis to their warpath, and focus on his primary enemy solely, losing the battle, but maybe winning the war, or he could send out some of his more battle-ready friends who had regrouped after apprehending the prisoners who had escaped. If he did that, he would win the battle and keep the peace, but he may not win a direct encounter.

Letting out a long sigh, he leaned against the captain's console in front of him, eyes clouded in worry.

 _What would All Might do?_

All Might wouldn't have even gotten in this situation. The Mantis fleet would be either dispatched in a matter of moments or the fight wouldn't have even begun. But if it happened...All Might would definitely send people out to fight the Mantis.

But this was a different situation. Izuku still didn't have full control over One For All; his current limit was 85%, and that still turned his limbs into a mass of screaming pain.. He couldn't win a battle without the help of those around him.

If only he was a better successor…

Izuku hardened his mind. He couldn't show weakness, not now.

"We're continuing after the _Infiltrator_ ship. We'll be jumping momentarily." Izuku commanded, a slight edge to his voice.

"Deku…? But what about the Mantis?" Uraraka asked, confused.

"They're weakened, and I doubt that they'd attack anything important. They're battle-hungry, but not stupid. Anyone with an above-average defense can take out a lot of them." Izuku rationalised, ignoring the looks of doubt in the faces of others.

He was meant to be the Symbol of Peace. Why couldn't he reassure people that everything would be okay?

That was one of All Might's best qualities, and what made him the #1 hero. But, then again, giving a false grin to reassure others that everything was fine...that's just a lie, a sense of false security. Isn't that what you said, Kacchan?

 **And that's a wrap for this chapter! Kind of short, I know. Not much really happened, but I wanted to get the real exposition chapter out of the way.**

 **Bakugo's story was basically a bit of a recap, but it also somewhat explained how things were different. Kirishima's absence would change** _ **so much.**_ **Without Kirishima, Bakugo never got out of All Might's way at Kamino Ward, and I would imagine that he provided some sort of emotional stability for those around him. That was the logic I went with for Mina, anyways.**

 **Now, obviously, Kirishima, Kaminari, Mina, and one other person weren't at U.A for the majority of Bakugo's time there. You can probably guess the fourth. There will be an explanation as to** _ **why**_ **, but it'll be explored more deeply as the story progresses.**

 **It seems kinda convenient that this group found each other, wouldn't you say? Almost like another influence were acting on them.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Anonymuss45, signing off.**


	4. Pirates!

**An Explosive Arbiter**

 **Chapter 4: Pirates!**

Bakugo came back to consciousness to light laughter and quiet conversation.

It was a struggle to open his eyes. He felt groggy and sore, but in noticeably less pain. He certainly wasn't complaining.

Opening his eyes fully, he saw Raccoon Eyes, Shitty Hair, and Pikachu lounging around and talking. He almost snorted; who was he to think that they would do something productive?

It wasn't long before Pikachu looked over and noticed that Bakugo's eyes were open. "Mornin', sleepyhead!" He called out with a smirk on his face.

"I'll kill you." Bakugo warned. He was _not_ in the mood to deal with their shit right now.

"Right, right. We're about twenty minutes out from our next warp." Shitty Hair said dismissively. Bakugo's eye twitched, but he said nothing.

"Where are we going, anyways?" Bakugo asked, sitting up and rolling his shoulders. His joints cracked from disuse.

"We're just going to a nearby beacon. From there...I'm not sure. Me and Kaminari have been travelling around kinda aimlessly for the last few months." Shitty Hair said, scratching the back of his neck.

Ignoring Raccoon Eyes' call of 'Kaminari and I!', something about what Shitty Hair had said didn't sit right.

"Where have you been getting credits and scrap? You're basically homeless." Bakugo asked, eyes hard as he glared at Shitty Hair.

The ship didn't have a large storage for scrap, but what was there was a good amount. It had been plenty enough to both optimize the engines and give them a small upgrade, and when he had enough time, he would upgrade the reactor. But that scrap had to come from somewhere; there was no way that they were just finding it. General peace was common through the galaxy, so it was doubtful that they had gotten it out of self-defense.

Shitty Hair's eyes darted to the side for a small moment, but it was enough to raise Bakugo's suspicions even further.

"We've been taking odd jobs. I'm good at construction and stuff like that, and Kaminari's real useful for electricity, y'know?" Shitty Hair said, talking ever so slightly faster than he normally did while looking slightly past Bakugo.

Bakugo said nothing in response, but he knew that Shitty Hair was lying to him. Why he did, he had no idea, but he didn't give a damn about whether or not they got it legally. He wasn't the type of person to judge someone on how well they followed the law.

Why would he care if the two idiots were pirates?

Standing up, Bakugo stretched, feeling his arms still complain at the action. He still hadn't fully recovered, huh? As he pulled his arm across his body, Bakugo froze, feeling his arm almost lock up. It was worse than he thought.

Slowly, Bakugo lowered his arm back down to a normal position. Alright, so he just couldn't beat the shit out of people with his hands or his Quirk for a while. He could deal with that.

Opening the small mini-fridge, Bakugo frowned. "Running out of food." He grumbled, grabbing what looked like leftover chili.

"Yeah, I know. I would have gotten more, but…" Shitty Hair trailed off, the atmosphere of the room suddenly heavier.

None of them wanted to bring up the station. No one had directly told him, but he could infer from what was going on. The alarm sounding throughout the dock that they were on, the explosion.

That very same alarm had been the one to convince him not to leave the ship. One foot had been out the door when it rang.

Bakugo grunted, starting to eat his meager meal. The bridge was mostly silent for a few blessed, sacred moments until Pikachu broke it.

"So what do you think will be at this beacon?" Pikachu asked, an unusually worried look on his usually completely carefree face.

"No idea! I just chose a random one." Shitty Hair chirped happily, and Bakugo's heart stopped.

"Ooh, living life on the edge! That's pretty manly, Kirishima!" Raccoon Eyes said, smiling deviously.

There were probably hundreds of beacons scattered around in each sector. Early on, in the fledgling days of the Federation before Quirks were common, there were perhaps ten, maybe twenty per sector. That was a rough time, where the rebels had a flagship that was a technological terror at the time. However, beacons were a gamble then and a gamble now. There could be literally anything at a beacon; a sun, a missile silo, a trading post...You name it, there could be a hazard.

Going to a random one without checking their credentials could be a death sentence.

Looking at the happily chatting trio in the bridge with him, Bakugo let out a small sigh. None of them really knew the danger, did they? Bakugo was sorely tempted to break their bubble of happiness, but he had food in front of him. He could do it later.

Slowly, Bakugo ate, waiting for the warp timer to end. The second it did, he might have to pilot this ship to safety. He wasn't dying because these people had a bad ship.

Finishing up the portion of chili, Bakugo slid the box back in the mini fridge. "Hey, Raccoon Eyes. You remember how to manage the weapons systems from when you were in U.A?" Bakugo asked, eyes boring into the woman. She blinked at him twice, then let out a small sigh.

"Not off the top of my head. I'll probably be able to do it if I have some time, though." She said, looking a bit upset.

"Go in there now, see if you can work it out. We have five minutes before we get to that beacon. I'm not being caught with our pants down. Shitty Hair, Pikachu, go work the systems you know how to work. I don't care what you do, just make yourself useful." Bakugo said, voice low and cold. Raccoon Eyes nodded and left the room, Pikachu close behind. Shitty Hair stuck around, though.

"So, you're piloting, Bakugo?" Shitty Hair asked, an inquisitive look on his face.

"You bet your ass I am. I don't plan on risking anything to you chumps. Zoltan-infused shields are getting more and more common, and if we can't teleport in there, we can't kick their asses." Bakugo said, an edge of annoyance in his tone. He missed his old ship. Zoltan technology didn't even stand a chance against his teleporter.

"We could always run from them." Kirishima offered.

"Not a chance. We don't have that type of time." Bakugo rejected the idea instantly. He wasn't going to run from a fight, not when there was even a sliver of a chance of winning. Because heroes won; that's just what they did.

Shitty Hair frowned. "Alright, if you say so. Oh yeah, I just remembered, we named the ship while you were out!" Shitty Hair said happily.

"Yeah?" Bakugo said, completely uninterested as he began assigning power.

"Yeah, we're calling it Ground Zero! Cool name, huh?" Shitty Hair joked, even as Bakugo paused for a second.

They didn't name it that because it had something to do with explosions, right?

Apparently, Bakugo expended Shitty Hair's patience, because when he turned to look, the man was gone into the corridor.

Bakugo grit his teeth, but turned his attention back to the console.

They were dropping out of warp. There could be anything in front of them.

Bakugo held his breath as the racing blue of hyperspace dropped and was replaced by a brilliant blue nebula, some far distance in front of them.

Unfortunately, in front of said nebula was a looming ship with distinctive pirate markings. It looked to be a relatively simple ship, which Bakugo was thankful for. It meant that it might not be too hard for this ship to kick its ass.

Before Bakugo could even do anything, a communication came through. The screen in front of him showed him the enemy's command bridge; nothing special, just a captain. It wasn't anything like the one on his ship or the _One for All_ , where the sensors and the doors could be controlled in one area, however, and that dated the ship.

The captain looked average enough. Straight-faced, strangely clean looking for a pirate, and he looked disciplined.

"You've intruded on our beacon. Pay our toll, or we'll make you regret it." The captain promised, wasting no time.

Bakugo raised his eyebrows. "And what fucking toll is that?" Bakugo spat. He knew it was bullshit, and he was fully prepared to fight over it.

"Thirty-five units of scrap. If you can pay it, then we shall let you go without a fight. After all, there's no reason for us to fight. We're all friends here." The captain said with a strange sincerity, and Bakugo was almost inclined to believe him. So...should he just give him the scrap? That would be for the best, wouldn't it? After all, the pirate ship was better than his, right? Plus, that captain looked pretty strong, so there was no way that he could win-

Bakugo's mind came to a screeching halt.

"Don't you even _fucking_ try it, you asshole. I'm onto your game." Bakugo growled. If he was angry before, he was fucking _furious_ now.

"Hm? And what game is that?" The captain asked, a somewhat surprised look on his face.

"Your fucking quirk won't work on me. You're not the first one to try." Bakugo snarled. A look of legitimate surprise and even a small hint of worry passed the pirate captain's face, until it settled back into an impassive look once more.

"Are you sure that we can't settle this peacefully? I would recommend it. There is no need for us to fight. Just hand over the scrap." The captain urged quietly, but Bakugo wasn't having any of that shit.

"What, you need the scrap because the big bad wouldn't give you a good ship? Don't even think about it. This is ours." Bakugo responded. There was always a certain type of thing that you could do to disable these types of people; either keep yourself grounded in reality or completely clear your thoughts. What this guy didn't know was that Bakugo was an expert at both letting rage consume him and controlling his rage, and both worked fine for keeping his head clear.

The captain's face got a tick of annoyance, and he looked like he was biting back a response.

"Or was it your old man that didn't give you a good ship? You can't tell me that you're here because you want to be. Surely, someone as incompetent as you at your job couldn't actually want it." Bakugo jeered, watching as anger grew on the man's face.

"Ooh, don't tell me! Did your girlfriend dump you after she realized how much of a scumbag you were? Or did she reject you before it even got that far? How many nights were spent alone in a dark corner of your room before you decided to cry about it with the rest of the scum?" Bakugo scorned, watching as actual pain began to show on the man's face.

His passive demeanor was fully broken, and Bakugo licked his lips in anticipation. Angry people made mistakes. But enraged people? They became smarter, laser-focused. That was the difference between the two of them. Bakugo knew how to use his rage, and this guy was simply a slave to his anger right now. He knew the difference.

There was silence over the comms as Bakugo awaited his answer.

"Pre-" The captain began.

"HAAHHH? I can't hear you down there, you fucking _MAGGOT_!" Bakugo yelled, taking delight in watching the captains' face contort.

The comms closed, and Bakugo cackled.

Bringing up the communications, Bakugo was forced to cast aside his glee, if only for a moment.

"Prepare for a fight. Raccoon Eyes, you work out that weapon?" Bakugo asked, serious once more as he watched the pirate ship move. This first move would be the most important.

" _Pretty much, yeah. Also, Bakugo, I get that you're harsh, but you didn't have to kill the man."_ Raccoon Eyes called out jokingly.

" _Yeah, that was kinda brutal, dude. Hilarious, but brutal."_ Pikachu's voice came over the comms. Bakugo merely let out a small growl.

"We're under attack. Get ready on the engines and shields." Bakugo ordered as he checked the weapon on the pirate ship.

They weren't too advanced. This truly was a mid-tier ship at best. Standard laser and some decently advanced weapons. Their flak weapon was really their main concern. They were harder to dodge than standard lasers or missiles, and could tear through shields like they were nothing.

Bakugo brought up the display of the enemy ship on his right and the display of their own on the right. The sensors on this ship were as bad as the rest of it, so the only thing that he could see was their own interior.

However, what it did tell him was the strength of the pirates' shields. Unfortunately for them, they were Zoltan-infused. Jury-rigged, but Zoltan-infused. They would have to land a hit on the shields with a weapon if they wanted to teleport.

Almost in a flash, the weapons on the opposing ship were fired. Several lasers were fired their way. Bakugo narrowed his eyes as he maneuvered the ship. He was the damn best, and no one would beat him in piloting, not even _Deku_.

After a complex roll made by manipulating the momentum of the ship and several small bursts from the engines to gain more speed, the lasers passed by harmlessly. The _Ground Zero_ was in a good position to avoid more attacks; the distance between them was lower now, but a shot would be difficult to get because of how much lower down the _Ground Zero_ was.

"Pikachu, make sure those engines are holding out. I don't need them blowing up on me." Bakugo warned, flicking his eyes to the display to his left.

" _Got it, no need to worry about me! I can handle myself!_ " Pikachu called out cheerfully.

"Raccoon Eyes, make sure you're ready to fire! Keep a good line of sight on the ship." Bakugo ordered, receiving a noise of confirmation on her end.

As for Shitty Hair, well...if things went Bakugo's way, Shitty Hair wouldn't even need to do anything.

Snapping his eyes back to the battlefield, Bakugo swerved the ship to dodge a flak shot. The shields were lightly scraped, but they held.

The pirates were playing it smart; they were staying just out of Bakugo's range with their superior engines while firing upon them from afar. All it was really doing was annoying Bakugo; as the battle progressed, Bakugo dodged more and more lasers and flak.

" _Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of this!"_ Pikachu called out cheerfully.

"Don't jinx it, moron!" Bakugo seethed. He needed to keep his concentration.

Bakugo's mind was swarming with information. Angles, speed, trajectory, gains and consequences flooded his mind. It wasn't simply enough to know how to move a ship and get it from point A to B when you were a pilot. You needed to know every possible weapon your opponent might carry, how it functioned, how to counteract and dodge it, and most importantly, what it would do against your ship.

In this case, any loss to the shields would be a death sentence. That laser couldn't pierce shields, but it could deal a lot of damage to the hull of a ship. With how small this ship was, it was likely that the laser could cut it completely in half if the shields broke. That laser was primed to fire at any moment.

That was why he was being so careful, why he wasn't taking the chances that he should. If they got even slightly hurt, the shields could drop, and they would be dead. That was all it came down to.

It was a game of cat and mouse, but in this situation, who was the cat and who was the mouse?

" _Oh my god."_ Pikachu's voice came over the comms, breathy and concerned.

" _Kaminari? What's wrong, man?"_ Shitty Hair's voice asked, sounding equally concerned.

" _I just realized something. God, I can't believe that has never occurred to me!"_ Pikachu said, sounding pained.

"If there's a problem with the engines, then shut the fuck up and tell me!" Bakugo growled.

" _No, it's not that, just... isn't sushi just a Japanese taco?"_ Pikachu's voice came over the comms.

Right then and there, Bakugo almost lost it. He was right on the verge of standing up, leaving the bridge, and beating Pikachu's ass, right then and there.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU IDIOT!" Bakugo roared over the comms.

In his rage, one of Bakugo's hands pressed down harder than intended, and the engines were, without any warning or preamble, pushed to their maximum.

" _Whoa, Bakugo, chill! It was just a question!"_ Pikachu complained. On the sensors, Bakugo could see him frantically rushing around the room and fiddling with things.

" _Save it for later, Kaminari!"_ Shitty Hair interjected, sounding exasperated.

Unbeknownst to the other three, Bakugo was currently trying his hardest to avoid dying. The sudden burst of speed had placed him in a very bad spot.

They were in range, although not by much. The downside for that was that the enemy was also in range for them.

It was a gamble, throwing their fate to the cards. Whichever one of them fired first would win.

"NOW, RACCOON EYES!" Bakugo roared, already inputting the commands to do a desperate dive and spin out of the way.

The ship _pulsed_ , and a huge blast of electricity emitted from the ion weapon. Bakugo grunted as electricity flared up from the console in front of him.

"Too much, Raccoon Eyes!" Bakugo scolded, checking their power with a worried look.

He could either maintain the shields or the engines, and not both.

A small bead of sweat dripped down Bakugo's face as worry began to make a knot in his gut.

Looking at the display desperately, Bakugo let out a small sigh of relief when the ion passed over the enemy ship with ease, rendering it immobile. For how long was anyone's guess.

"Raccoon Eyes, can you pilot?" Bakugo called over the comms.

" _Not as well as you can! And if you're thinking about fighting, don't. I saw how injured you were. Our best option is to just run while we have the chance. The FTL is ready, right, Kaminari?"_ Raccoon Eyes asked the dolt, who responded with a quick affirmative.

"Fuck no! There's no way we're backing out now! We have them on the ropes." Bakugo protested, feeling anger welling up in him because they even suggested it.

" _Why risk it? We can just get out of here peacefully."_ Raccoon Eyes argued, trying to sound calm, but Bakugo could hear the annoyance in her voice.

"If you fuckers don't want to fight, that's fine. I'll go over there and kick their asses myself." Bakugo growled.

" _Why do we need to fight them? We can just leave and let someone else handle it!"_ Raccoon Eyes protested, but it sounded weak.

"I'll never let someone else fight a battle because I lost it! Not again!" Bakugo all but roared into the comms, and there was a short silence among them.

" _...Alright, fine. Kirishima, let's do this."_ Raccoon Eyes conceded, and Bakugo would put on a self-satisfied look if he wasn't so pissed.

" _Alright, got it! Bakugo, teleport us over, would ya?"_ Shitty Hair's voice came through the comms, even as Raccoon Eyes bounded through the bridge to get to the other side of the ship.

Bakugo let out a small frown. "Yeah, whatever. Don't fuck it up. I'll be out here keeping us alive." He grumbled into the mic.

He didn't want to leave the fighting to them, but he had to be realistic. Raccoon Eyes wasn't as good a pilot as he was, especially if she hadn't practiced since U.A. On top of that...she _did_ have a point about him not being in the greatest of shapes, loathe as he was to admit it.

So, just this once, Bakugo would let someone else fight his battle for him.

He allotted power to the teleporter and sent the two over to the other ship.

They would be on the front lines, fighting his war, and he would be back here, playing the support game. It didn't sit right in his stomach, but then again, he knew that they were at least somewhat competent.

If there was anyone that he trusted to do this, it would probably be any of the people on this ship, although that's not really saying much and he would still always do it himself if he had the option.

But, for now, he was forced to rely on others.

The enemy ship's shields rose once more, and the weapons were aimed towards his ship. Bakugo grabbed the controls.

His two options were defending and dodging. No in-between.

"Come at me, you motherfucker."

Ashido and Kirishima were teleported to a random hallway in the pirate ship. For a short moment, they were alone. Around them, the ship whirred back to life.

"Alright, we need to help Bakugo out. The first thing we need to do is take out those weapons." Kirishima said confidently, and Ashido smiled to herself. He had really grown up a bit, hadn't he? It was obvious that he still hadn't 'cast off his old pathetic self', but he was definitely a new person.

"Right!" Ashido agreed with a smile.

Just as she said that, an alarm rang throughout the ship.

Instantly, the two were on guard. They must have been picked up on by the sensors.

The doors slammed shut, and there was a worrying sound of suction. Alarm bells began ringing in Ashido's head.

"They've opened up the oxygen vents! Come on, follow me!" Ashido urged, dispensing acid onto the closest door.

Pushing through the door, the two were met with a pair of very surprised pirates. There was a small silence for a few moments where neither party was sure what to do.

Then, the suction noise stopped, and Ashido and Kirishima sprung into action.

The pirates had no Quirks. One was a Slug, the other human. If he had a Quirk, it wasn't combat based. They stood no real chance against the pair.

Now that she had a real chance to look at it, Ashido noticed that Kirishima seemed to be able to hold his own in a battle. He wasn't just hunkering down like a turtle and playing the defensive game, like his Quirk would suggest him to do, but instead going on the offensive, only using his Quirk to defend himself at critical moments or when he needed to strike.

It surprised Ashido. He clearly knew what he was doing, and had probably fought recently. It made her ask herself what she had been doing with her time, exactly.

The two moved through the ship quickly. With Ashido's ability to break down the doors with ease combined with her natural strength and Kirishima's overwhelming mix of defense and offense, the pair were unstoppable, even when they encountered people with Quirks. One with a water Quirk, one with a Quirk to bend metal, and another with the ability to teleport short distances.

All in all, the pair defeated over twenty pirates. Faintly, in the back of her mind, Ashido was reminded of the amount of villains that she had fought at USJ, and how the number was similar to the amount that she had taken out before being knocked out.

It took them ten minutes, at the absolute most. The entire time, the ship rumbled as weapons were fired and engines were manipulated. Until they took those systems out, of course. Ashido's acid was deadly to a ship's systems. As the ship slowed to a crawl, Bakugo's voice came through the comms.

" _They've stopped firing. You take out those weapons?"_ He asked, sounding exhausted.

"Yep! They're all gone, thanks to yours truly." Ashido bragged, throwing her hands behind her head.

" _Yeah, I don't really care who did it. Could you hurry up and take out Captain Dickhead over there before he stops comming me and instead comms an entire pirate fleet?"_ Bakugo asked, sounding weary and frustrated.

"He's comming you?" Kirishima asked, surprised.

" _Won't shut the fuck up about how 'I'll pay for this' and 'He'll bring the entirety of the Great Pirate Fleet down upon our asses'. If I hadn't heard it thousands of times before, I might be worried."_ Bakugo said, sounding slightly smug this time.

"We should probably hurry. You can never tell when these guys are serious." Kirishima said, causing Ashido to look at him with disbelief once more. He had done this before?

" _The faster you do that, the faster he'll stop bitching at me. Hey, asshat, could you shut the fuck up for a second? I'm talking to someone else. No? Well, FU-"_ Ashido quickly cut the line. Judging by the look on Kirishima's face and his fumbling hands, he hadn't been as successful.

"How about we just go and finish this job?" Ashido suggested, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

Kirishima let out a short, nervous laugh. "Yeah, let's do that." He said, averting his eyes.

The trip to the bridge was probably more work than it needed to be. They made small talk as they moved, which was probably why they got lost three times on the way over. It wasn't like the engines were coming back anytime soon, but they still had to be wary.

The bridge was probably the most pronounced room in the entire ship, near the front with large, towering doors. It was pretentious, in a way, to do it like that, but she wasn't one to judge. It was common. Even the _One For All_ , which used to be All Might's behemoth of a ship, had that setup.

Burning her way through the door, Ashido and Kirishima pushed their way through, ready to fight.

The captain was sat in a chair, turned in their direction. Across the large cabin, he pinned them with a level, strong gaze. Immediately, Ashido tensed. They weren't dealing with your typical goons anymore. This one was more dangerous, better trained than the rest of them.

"Kirishima, keep your guard up." Ashido breathed out, just barely loud enough for her friend to hear.

A miniscule nod was her response.

Ashido raised her hands, ready to fire acid, when the captain raised his own hands in a placid, calming gesture.

"It's okay. I do not wish to fight. I merely wish to talk." The captain said with a level, controlled voice. Ashido slowly lowered her hands.

"I wish to bargain for my surrender. I am sure that this is acceptable for you and your friend?" the captain said slowly, enunciating each word.

Without even shooting a look at Kirishima, Ashido found herself nodding. "Alright, what will you give us?" Kirishima said, doubt lacing his voice.

"Half of the scrap in our storeroom and one of our best weapons. I hope that you can understand that I cannot offer more. We are, of course, in just as bad a situation as you are. Can you not tell?" The captain said slowly, and silently, Ashido agreed.

"How much scrap is half of your scrap?" Kirishima asked, sounding concerned.

"Over one hundred units. We took a toll from those passing through this area, you see. Scrap is precious to many, and in our situation, we needed as much of it as possible to get our feet off the ground." The captain said soothingly, and Ashido felt some of the stress and worry roll off of her shoulders. This seemed reasonable so far.

But didn't it seem unfair to ask these men for so much scrap?

"However, I worry for our safety if we were to give you so much scrap. After all, we needed it for a good reason...Wouldn't it be abandoning your fellow man in a time of need if you were to take so much from us?" The captain said soothingly, and Ashido wholeheartedly agreed.

"I...Hey, wait a second. You attacked us. Why would it be abandoning you?" Kirishima asked, voice sounding somewhat hazy. Ashido wanted to yell at him. This offer was generous! They didn't deserve it. These people needed the scrap more than they did, especially after all the damage that she did to their ship!

"Shouldn't the exchange be more even? We will surely die without that scrap. Blown to bits by the next ship to come along with a ruffian like yours at the helm, all just so you can fuel your greed. After meeting me, could you seriously live with that?" The captain prompted, leading Ashido to bite her lip. It would tear her up inside if that happened. She would let so many innocent people die?

"...No, wait. Something doesn't feel right here. Half of the scrap and some fuel. No arguments." Kirishima suddenly demanded, voice with a small edge to it, and something inside Ashido snapped.

Her fist went towards Kirishima's face.

Kirishima only had the time to blink before Ashido's fist was rocketing towards his face.

Quickly raising his arms and blocking it, he was forced to take a step backwards. Before he could even say anything, Ashido was attacking again, and he was forced to block that one, too. This time, he had enough time to activate his Quirk.

"Ashido, what the hell?" Kirishima grunted out as she got more intense.

Ashido was eerily quiet as she ramped up her offense.

As Kirishima poured his focus into defending himself from Ashido, he could just barely hear the captain sigh to himself.

"Just one instead of two. A pity. This should be good entertainment, at the very least." The captain said, voice imperious.

Kirishima looked over to him, anger beginning to brew in his soul. "You bastard! You're the one who made her like this?" He roared, feeling something burn his arms, even through his Quirk.

Turning his eyes back to Ashido, he saw how blank and cold hers were. They were devoid of emotion, completely without remorse for the acid pouring from her hands and in Kirishima's direction.

Quickly, Kirishima dodged to the side, dodging most of the acid but hissing where it his his skin. If he weren't hardened right now, he would have been feeling the full brunt of that and it would have torn through his skin.

"I didn't force her to be like this. I merely suggested it, and she didn't quite resist it until it was too late." The captain finally answered Kirishima's question, watching the proceedings with a morbid interest.

"Of course, it wasn't perhaps entirely difficult to convince her. My Quirk does work better on females, after all. I've put that particular part of my Quirk to use several times" The captain said callously, picking at his fingernails.

There were no words to describe Kirishima's anger in that moment. None at all. In that instant, he understood, with perfect clarity, how Bakugo felt every moment of the day. This man...he truly was the scum of the galaxy. In all of Kirishima's time, he had met some awful people, but this man took the cake without a shadow of a doubt.

"You unmanly piece of _GARBAGE!"_ Kirishima roared, heightening his hardening. His pain was forgotten, and his cares burned away in the fires of rage.

"Against you...there's absolutely no way I'll show mercy!" Kirishima yelled, pouring his heart into his voice.

Kirishima took a step, but a hand was hooked under his leg, giving Kirishima a painful reminder of why Ashido had been accepted into the hero course.

Kirishima managed to prevent himself from falling over outright by placing his hands on the floor and kicking out at Ashido, lessening her grip on him somewhat. His feet came back down to the floor ungracefully, but he was free from Ashido's grip.

As he re-focused on his target, he realized that the captain was nowhere to be found. Blindly, Kirishima looked around, blocking a hit from Ashido in the process.

A hand curled around his throat, and Kirishima was suddenly thrown to the ground. With a short gasp, Kirishima's hardening was momentarily released.

But it was enough for Ashido.

Before Kirishima could lash out at the captain, who stood over him and was leering imperiously, Ashido had grabbed his legs and one of his arms, pinning him into place like an expert wrestler.

"You were a damn annoyance, you know. You and the bitch. It's damn expensive to replace an entire system, you know." The captain said, a look of maniacal glee on his face. Kirishima didn't respond; his face was being pressed into the floor.

The captain was quiet for a moment.

"You piss me off. Honestly, I would just kill you now if I weren't in such a good mood right now." The captain said, a small sort of high in his voice. He kicked Kirishima's side, who let out a quiet grunt.

"After all, it's not every day that I manage to take down _Bakugo Katsuki's_ crew." The captain said, inhaling loudly through his nose.

Kirishima jerked slightly, and Ashido pressed down even harder on his body.

"How do you know Bakugo?" Kirishima asked, muffled.

The captain laughed then- a crazed, giddy laugh. "Who _doesn't_ know of the Bombing King? He's famous. He was the reason that All Might died, and he was the one who stole the Crown Jewel of the Crystal Rocks. They say that there's a reason that the Bombing King always wins, a prophecy- that whoever holds the jewel will always be victorious in battle. It's clearly bull- after all, he was captured, was he not?" The captain gloated, seeming to take pride in the fact that he seemed to have the advantage.

Kirishima didn't doubt the prophecy. Bakugo was manly, and he hadn't lost a single fight from the time that they had met. In this case, Kirishima trusted in that prophecy.

Kirishima had no doubt that they would win.

There was no conceivable way that they would lose. Kirishima had been in worse situations before, and he had gotten out of them. Heaven and hell itself would have to conspire to defeat him in this situation.

It looked poor, but if there was one thing that he had learned from constantly being the underdog, it was that people made the most mistakes when they believed that they were going to win.

And right now, the captain had just made a brutal one.

"Bakugo! Now!" Kirishima shouted.

And in that moment, Bakugo Katsuki teleported into the ship and directly behind the captain.

"Wh-" the captain started, the gloating in his eyes replaced by fear.

"DIEEEEEE!" Bakugo screeched, and an explosion lit up the bridge. It was enough to send Ashido looking wildly behind her, and enough of a distraction for her grip to loosen.

"I'm sorry, Ashido!" Kirishima said with regret as he activated his Quirk.

Skin hardened and pierced Ashido's leg, causing her to cry out in pain and let go of Kirishima. Within an instant, Kirishima reversed the position. He swung her around and pinned down her arms and legs, trying desperately to ignore her squirming.

Looking away from the rampaging girl, Kirishima locked eyes with Bakugo, who was breathing slightly heavily and leaning against the side of the ship. His arms were spasming slightly.

"Thanks, Bakugo." Kirishima said, completely seriously. Kirishima risked a glance at the captain, who was currently in snoozeville in a dent in the wall.

"She got caught in his Quirk?" Bakugo asked, anger void from his voice.

Kirishima gulped. "Yeah. Sorry." He said, shame hanging over him like a blanket.

Bakugo averted his eyes. "It's no big deal. These types of people are hard to work around, even if you know their Quirk. Even Deku's been caught by them, so don't make it something big." Bakugo said, sounding tired.

"Wait, you're not mad?" Kirishima asked, slightly confused.

"I'm only pissed that you couldn't beat this guy, but you held your own. But, tell me, Kirishima…" Bakugo began, getting a serious look on his face. Kirishima didn't even have time to register that Bakugo had referred to him by name.

"If this happened again and the only way to win was to kill her….would you be able to do it?" Bakugo nearly spat, staring at Kirishima with a look of pure intensity.

The natural response was that he wouldn't, right?

"If everything was on the line and you had to abandon your morality to get victory, could you do so?" Bakugo repeated the question, his eyes narrowing.

Kirishima dropped his eyes.

"...No." Kirishima admitted. Below him, Ashido had stopped struggling. Looking down, he saw that she seemed to be fast asleep.

Bakugo said nothing for a long moment before sighing. "You would make it as a hero, you know. Every hero that I've met has responded the same way." Bakugo said, his tone betraying none of his thoughts.

 _What the hell does that mean?_ Kirishima asked himself, wondering whether or not to accept the roundabout compliment.

"What do you want to do about captain asshat, then? I'll leave it up to you." Bakugo said, voice neutral.

And with a single question, Kirishima's confusion turned to anger.

Shameful as it was, his first response was to kill the man. He had done too much, committed too many crimes that he would never be punished for. If he left the man alive, he could attack others, hurt other people and do to them what he couldn't do to Kirishima.

But...where was the justice in killing a defenseless man, lying unconscious on the ground? It wasn't manly at all- hell, it was the opposite! It didn't feel right to just kill a man like that. But if he took him in, they would need to feed him, keep him restrained. His Quirk would act on anyone who heard him. Plus, there was no chance in hell that they would be able to give him to the Federation or the rebels. They would be shot on sight.

What...what the hell should he do?

Bakugo sighed. "Can't make a decision? Then let me make it for you."

Before Kirishima could even process what was happening, Bakugo had walked up to the downed body of the captain, picked up a laser gun that was in the man's holster, and shot him, point-blank, in the head.

Kirishima's mind was blank for a long moment.

"This is something that every hero goes through. If you can't make a decision in a short time, then something else will make it for you. It was safer for everyone if this man was dead, so I killed him." Bakugo said, speaking as though he was talking about the weather.

"That...that's not how a hero should act at all!" Kirishima all but roared, releasing Ashido and pulling himself to his feet.

"I'm not a hero anymore, Kirishima. I couldn't make that decision, and the whole galaxy paid for it. I'm not letting anyone else die because I was indecisive." Bakugo said calmly, but his entire body didn't reflect that tone of voice. He was poised, ready for a fight. His eyes held a blazing fury with hints of self-loathing.

It stopped Kirishima dead in his tracks.

Bakugo wanted to better himself. He didn't want people to get hurt, so he used the methods of a villain to sacrifice one person instead of one hundred. It was cold, hard statistics. He wanted to absolve himself of that mistake, and to that end, he fought the way he did.

It struck an intensely deep chord within Kirishima.

Bakugo scoffed. "Don't give me that look. I don't want anyone's pity." He said, anger starting to line his voice.

"Right, sorry." Kirishima said, rubbing the back of his head and looking away.

Ashido made a small noise, an Kirishima was instantly reminded of the situation.

"Ashido! Are you alright?" He called, racing back to her side and crouching down warily. Ashido mumbled and stirred a little bit, but didn't wake up.

"She'll be fine. Hey, Pikachu, 'port these two back. I have something that I need to do." Bakugo said, turning away from the pair and walking towards the door.

"Wait, you're not coming with us? What do you need to do?" Kirishima called out after him, and Bakugo paused.

"I'm still travelling with you fuckers, don't get me wrong. You guys fucked this ship up beyond repair and I refuse to pilot a pirate ship. There's just some things that I need to get. Make sure the teleporter room is clear after I give you the all-clear." Bakugo ordered, his tone expecting complete obedience. Kirishima had no choice but to accept as a jerking feeling in his stomach signified a teleport.

Kaminari had instantly almost crushed Kirishima in a death grip of a hug the second that he teleported.

"Hey, you alright, man? Is Ashido alright? I was listening to you guys over the comms. That guy was such an asshole." Kaminari swore, helping Kirishima pick up Ashido.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Bakugo said that Ashido should be fine, too, so I guess the only thing to do is wait." Kirishima said, almost dejectedly. His emotions had been sent on a rollercoaster ride from hell, and he was still a bit frazzled from it.

"Man, I wish that Bakugo didn't need me back here. What I wouldn't give to plant my fist in that guy's face!" Kaminari said, a resolute and proud expression on his face.

"I feel you, bro. He was...truly a bad person." Kirishima said, still somewhat emotionally scarred.

He had just seen someone die.

It hadn't truly struck him until that moment. It wasn't the first time that he had seen it, but before, they had just been in the background; people that he hadn't known, deaths that he hadn't seen. If he didn't see the deed being done, he could just ignore it and move on. But in this case, it was the first real death that he had seen. He had, in the smallest sense of the word, known the man. He knew his personality, interacted with him in those few moments before he was killed. While his personality was that of a devil dragged through the mud, it didn't make him any less of a person.

Kirishima almost wanted to vomit.

A hand landed on his shoulder as the pair settled Ashido into Bakugo's old 'sick seat'.

"I...heard what Bakugo did. Do you want to talk about it?" Kaminari offered, genuine sympathy in his eyes.

Kirishima considered it for a long moment. It was a tempting offer, truly. But something that Bakugo had said earlier was still ringing around in his head.

" _You would make it as a hero, you know."_

Who had ever heard of a hero who expressed weakness so easily, without worry for himself? Crimson Riot was the epitome of a man; he never felt fear, even when faced with the strongest of foes. If that was to be his future, he would need to learn to cast aside his fear and anger on his own. He shouldn't worry Kaminari with it.

So, Kirishima smiled and responded with a simple, "I think I'll be fine. The guy deserved it, anyways. Wasn't very manly." Kaminari eyed him for a long moment, but dropped it.

Silence reigned in the bridge for the worrying amount of time that Bakugo was gone. It was only broken by the occasional mumble from Ashido in her sleep. The only thing stopping Kirishima from becoming too worried was the fact that Bakugo's signal from his teleporter cuff was still moving.

Five minutes stretched into ten, and a knot started to form in Kirishima's stomach.

Finally, the comms crackled on, and Bakugo's voice rang through. " _I've gotten all I need. Port everything in the room that I'm in, not just me."_ he said, voice commanding. Kaminari quickly took to the console, pressing buttons and firing up the teleporter.

As the teleport finished, Kirishima opened up the starmap and chose the nearest beacon. It was a merchant stop; a place for people to refuel, buy systems, hire crew members. It would also be protected, either by itself, the Federation, or the rebels, but judging how close to Tartarus they still were…

Gritting his teeth, Kirishima fired up the FTL drive, entering hyperspace and firing towards the store.

The door to the bridge opened and Bakugo stepped out with a cocky grin on his face.

"You get what you need, mate?" Kaminari asked, leaning against the wall.

"Easily. These fuckers just left their scrap room open. Easy pickings." Bakugo bragged, folding his arms and leaning against the opposing wall.

"Wait, really? You just needed scrap?" Kirishima asked, a small frown on his face. He had been worried over nothing.

"I need to buy a ship with _something_ , Hair for Brains. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to." Bakugo said, looking at Ashido's slumbering form.

"You gonna save any of that for us?" Kaminari asked, a strange look on his face.

"They barely had enough to buy a ship that's decent. I picked up a weapon and some fuel while I was in there, so this ship won't get blown up the second I leave it." Bakugo stated, face like stone.

"Well, we handled fine without you, y'know? And now we have Mina. We'll be fine." Kaminari said with a strange edge to his voice. Kirishima threw him a cautious look.

Bakugo's eyes narrowed. "Good. I'll regret leaving even less than I used to." He challenged, hateful red eyes challenging Kaminari to argue. Thankfully, Kaminari knew when to quit.

"So you're really leaving at the next station?" Kirishima asked, a small pit in his stomach.

"I told you that I was going to leave as soon as possible, Hair for Brains. It's a fucking miracle that it hasn't happened yet." Bakugo almost spat.

Kirishima winced. Bakugo was right; it shouldn't come as a surprise to him. And yet, it didn't feel right to Kirishima. Bakugo felt like a member of the team now. Entrusting your life to someone, fully and completely, builds a manly bond with them that not even fate itself could break.

Kirishima didn't have a response for Bakugo, and the man seemed to take that as an invitation to stare off into nothingness in Ashido's direction.

Looking at the look of intense concentration on Bakugo's face, Kirishima was forced to wonder just what he was thinking about. He looked so focused, so serious, that there was no way that his mind wasn't somewhere important.

Looking at Bakugo, he was reminded of something that the pirate said.

"Hey, Bakugo, while we were fighting the captain, he mentioned something about the Crown Jewel of the Crystals, or something like that. Said you stole it." Kirishima brought up, almost wincing at how poorly he lead into the question.

"If you want to know something, make sure your question is obvious, Hair for Brains." Bakugo said, shooting a glare in Kirishima's direction.

"Oh, uh...right. Is it true? I mean, the Crystal race died out like five hundred years ago, right? The last one was on the Kestrel." Kirishima asked, feeling genuinely confused. It hadn't made sense to him then. That 'crown jewel' had to just be a remnant of the civilization, assuming it even existed.

"That's what everyone says, so yeah, they're all dead." Bakugo responded, almost flippantly.

Kirishima blinked. "But did you really steal their old crown jewel?" He pressed, sensing that this was something that he would need to be firm about.

Bakugo gave him a hard look. "I didn't steal it. That's just a rumor, anyway. Don't listen to all that bullshit. No one even knows where the Crystal sector is anymore." Bakugo said, closing his eyes and standing up slightly taller.

Kirishima wasn't very surprised, just a bit disappointed. "Then how did the rumor start?"

Bakugo snorted. "That damn legend has been around for centuries. No one but All Might has beaten me in a fair fight, and once I became a thief, people began to speculate. Probably started on some backwater planet for all I know." Bakugo responded, looking bored.

Kirishima hummed quietly in agreement. He had seen Bakugo fight; his first instinct had been that Bakugo had been liberally using Trigger. No one person could be that strong. His explosions had enough force to blow apart metal and limbs alike, and he was skilled enough to use them effectively and mercilessly. In fact, the only people that he thought could be as strong as him in terms of sheer strength were Deku and probably Cryo Flame.

"Oi, Shitty Hair, stop staring at me like that." Bakugo suddenly snapped, and Kirishima quickly averted his eyes. He hadn't even realized that he'd been staring.

Feeling his cheeks burn slightly from embarrassment, he decided to focus on something else.

"How's Ashido?" He asked Kaminari, who had moved to check on her while Bakugo and him were talking.

Kaminari hummed slightly. "Looks like she's just sleeping for right now. She's still breathing and she doesn't have a fever." The man said, poking and prodding at Ashido's face.

"She was affected by a brainwashing Quirk. The stronger it is, the more likely it is that the person will go unconscious." Bakugo said easily.

"The only thing to do is wait." Kaminari said sagely, crossing his arms and nodding.

Kirishima sighed. He hated waiting.

Kirishima looked at Ashido's sleeping face and frowned.

It was his fault that she was like this, wasn't it? They were supposed to be a team, and yet he didn't even notice when he was being influenced. Because he fell short, she was now unconscious. It could have gone worse, too- if he hadn't kept Bakugo's channel on the comms open like Ashido, he couldn't have gotten the help that he needed.

He...truly wasn't a man yet, was he?

Izuku Midoriya swallowed heavily as a report reached the captain's console.

" _Aeon Station has been destroyed. Few survivors."_ Nothing else. Seven words.

He didn't know that station specifically, but if it was a full-sized station, then thousands of lives were likely lost.

He swallowed back a heavy cloud of his own self-doubt.

He should have sent out a hero after them. Anyone would have done. He got so caught up in chasing All For One that everything else just became background noise. Why did he think that there wouldn't have been consequences?

A bead of sweat rolled down his head as he forced grief back. What the _hell_ was he thinking?

"I...I'm going to step out for a moment. Comm me if anything comes up." Izuku said, voice shaky and barely held together as he practically fled from the room.

In all of All Might's time, there had been a grand total of five hundred and seventy-six civilian casualties with incidents that he was personally involved in.

Izuku had probably multiplied that number exponentially with that single decision.

Panting as guilt tore his stomach to shreds, he pounded his fist against the durasteel, clinically white wall. "Damn it…" Izuku muttered.

How many people have they passed by now, on a chase that could very well be bogus? How many distress signals had been ignored?

'There are other heroes nearby who could deal with it,' Izuku had reasoned, but was he really sure? With the _One For All_ so focused out in this area, was it really too much of a stretch to say that things could be going poorly elsewhere? The Federation didn't have fast communication with all parts of the galaxy. It was possible that crime was skyrocketing while he was on a warpath.

He was a fool. A damn arrogant fool.

 _Were you right, all this time, Kacchan?_

 **And that's a wrap for chapter 4! This one ended up being longer than I intended, but I feel like it was worth it. Hope I left you guys with a good read.**

 **It's come to my attention that Kaminari hasn't really gotten much focus from me, instead getting relegated to being a background character. He's going to get a chapter dedicated to his own development here soon. I've focused a lot on the dynamic between Kirishima and Bakugo so far, and I want to make sure everyone gets their own time in the spotlight. I really like pretty much everyone here as a character, which is why it's so fun to write this story. I would also like to say that no, I don't hate Izuku. I think he's one of the least interesting characters in the show, but I don't hate him by any means. His decisions right now are heavily influenced by his emotions, much like All Might's after Nana was killed.**

 **Special appearance by a pro hero next chapter!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Anonymuss45, signing off.**


	5. Venus!

**An Explosive Arbiter**

 **Chapter 5: Venus!**

The ship was uncomfortably quiet as their ship docked into the Federation-controlled station. None of the extras seemed particularly keen on Bakugo leaving. It wouldn't stop him. His goal, from the beginning, had been to get a new ship and steal back his old one with it, and nothing would get in his way.

Raccoon Eyes had woken up about an hour ago, parched and hungry but otherwise fine. He had told her his intentions, and something close to disappointment had flickered before her eyes before she simply nodded and looked away.

Bakugo refused to meet any of their eyes. He knew that he wouldn't find anything he wanted there.

Their ship was scanned for anything contraband, and after it was cleared, they docked.

A Federation station would be protected. It would be regulated, taken care of, and have its own economy, similar to a state back on Musutafu. Of course, this economy used the same money system as the rest of the galaxy, but that was a given. In order to do anything- upgrade your ship, build something, create new technology- you needed _scrap_. Credits simply were a representation of this. Five hundred credits was equivalent to one unit of scrap, or something along those lines. Credits were commonly accepted by shops and ship dealers, while scraps were more commonly accepted by those selling weapons or systems that could be installed.

His first stop was converting the scrap that he took into credits. His second was a ship dealer.

Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as simple as that.

It was a _Federation_ station, and he was wanted by them. He was sure that his face was one of many plastered among the walls of the station. If that didn't tip anyone off, there were guaranteed to be at least three active heroes patrolling around who could recognize him at any time, not to mention the normal security.

He just needed to keep his head down. Nothing more, nothing less. No distractions this time, nothing to keep him from his goal.

The ship set down, and Bakugo heard the ramp opening. Slowly he pushed himself off of the wall.

The quiet tension in the room could probably only be cut by a very, very sharp knife.

Bakugo opened the door, and paused. He turned his head, looking at the three of them.

"Don't expect to see me again. I don't want you wasting your time chasing after me, alright? You won't be the first people to try."

Pikachu simply nodded, looking apprehensive yet accepting. Shitty Hair had an unreadable expression on his face. Raccoon Eyes looked like she wanted to say something.

And yet, there wasn't a single cry of protest as he closed the door behind him. He wasn't quite sure why the hell that annoyed him so much.

 _They'll find you again._ His heart sang, and Bakugo grit his teeth.

 _If they do, I'll have to beat that strength out of them. They're too much of a threat if they do._

His head was quiet, and he slowly walked out of the ship, hands in his pockets.

* * *

The atmosphere in the ship was quiet and tinged with the lingering regret of a goodbye.

"Hey, I don't think we should worry about it too much. I mean, he said that he didn't want us to look for him, so…" Kaminari trailed off, quietly fiddling with his hair.

He didn't know how to help his friends. Kirishima had formed a fast friendship with the blond, joking around with him even despite his abrasive nature. Ashido, who he hadn't known for long and was honestly still a little wary of, had known Bakugo when they were in high school. Even he had a strange sort of friendship with the explosive man, and it felt disappointing to see him go, just like that.

Kirishima had said that Bakugo was manly, and he said it a lot. Kaminari couldn't agree more. Bakugo was strong, confident, and skilled, but he had an ego the size of Terra Ultima. It was hard to say that he _liked_ the man, but he could definitely _respect_ him.

That was why he felt that Bakugo should make his own decision, and that they should let him. However, he didn't know how to put that respect into words, didn't know how to assuage the sadness that permeated the ship, and, not for the first time, he cursed his lack of brains when it counted.

"I think...I think that Bakugo will be okay. And I know that we'll be okay, too. So we shouldn't spend too much time moping around, yeah?" Kaminari tried again, keeping a close watch on Kirishima's facial expressions.

The room was silent, and Kaminari felt like pulling his hair out at his own inadequacy.

Kirishima looked up, and something that looked like determination crossed his features. A flicker of hope flashed in Kaminari's heart.

"Yeah...I think you're right. Bakugo's a man, through and through. Someone like him will make it far. So we can't be left behind in his dust! Let's get some work done!" Kirishima said, rising to his feet and throwing his hand in the air, a determined expression etched into his features.

Kaminari didn't know how much of that hope that Kirishima suddenly had was genuine, or how much of _that_ hope was caused by him, but in this moment, he was assured that Kirishima would be okay.

And really, that's all that he wanted.

* * *

Mina's tongue stuck out of her mouth ever so slightly as she configured the weapons systems from the inside as Kirishima and Kaminari installed the weapon from the outside.

The problem that they were encountering was that their ship wasn't built to have more than one primary weapon. It truly was, through and through, a civilian transport ship. They'd had to go out into the market and get a weapon installer just to get their weapon up and running, and _that_ had been expensive.

Surprisingly, Bakugo had left a good amount of scrap. It was enough to cover the costs of the installer and a little more. She wasn't sure whether to coo at the fact that the unshakeable Bakugo had a heart or cry because all of that scrap was gone now and _they still needed food and a shower._

Shaking her mind off of that depressing line of thought, Mina peeked at the console once more, praying that she was doing this right as she leafed through the manual.

The ship's weapon systems had to pick up on the fact that there was a weapon on the ship, which was the problem that she was currently going through. It was picking up on the fact that there was a _weapon_ there just fine, but the problem was that it couldn't detect what weapon it was and she couldn't aim it.

That might be a problem on Kirishima and Kaminari's end, though. Her only option was to be patient and see where the problem was, exactly.

She just had to have faith, and everything would work out.

* * *

Kirishima wiped a bead of sweat from his brow as he checked the manual again.

Looking back and forth between the picture in front of him and the weapon, Kirishima's eyebrows furrowed.

Blinking once more, Kirishima's eyes widened.

"Hey, Kaminari! I think we put this part on backwards!" Kirishima called down to his friend, who was handing him tools.

The look that Kaminari gave him was nothing short of stricken, and Kirishima accepted the wrench that he was already holding.

"Why do we need another weapon, man…" Kaminari complained, to which Kirishima secretly agreed. They didn't _really_ need another weapon, and it was a _lot_ of work to get it on there correctly, but it would probably be worth it in the end.

Plus, once they did this the first time, it would be a lot easier to swap out for a new weapon. They would be much safer in general.

 _Still...I say that, but I'm only doing this to distract myself._

He still wasn't sure how to feel about the Bakugo situation. The man deserved to live his own life, but he was also a great friend that Kirishima would miss. He was disappointed that they didn't get to talk more. Bakugo was an incredibly interesting person.

The work filled his mind, preventing him from being bogged down by his emotions. If he simply focused and pushed that lingering regret to the side, then he was sure that the emotion would fade until he was able to manage the emotion.

He would be okay. Of that, he was sure.

* * *

The three stepped back, looking at their hard work.

Their new weapon- a Burst Laser, Mark II- was now fully installed and they had a proper weapons system up and running.

Kirishima felt something in his chest, something like pride. Their ship was better now. It had a solid, visible improvement.

The job was patchwork, done in a rush and with all the visual mistakes of those who hadn't quite done something like this before, but it was a weapon, and a _real_ one. Civilian ships weren't even _supposed_ to have weapons, so this was a big step for them.

All of this hard work, and yet, the one who made it possible wasn't even here.

Looking at what they did, Kirishima could imagine what Bakugo would say to it. He would call it awful, say something about him being able to do a better job in his sleep, and then grumble and go to sleep to try to prove his point.

Another small twitch of the heartstrings had Kirishima quickly clenching his hands to focus on the here and now.

"Alright, the Ground Zero is locked and loaded!" Kaminari cheered, finding energy from the smallest of places. Seriously, Kirishima had no idea how the other man did it. It was rare to see Kaminari despondent.

Ashido sighed and stretched. "I don't know about you two, but now that this is done, I'm looking forward to heading into the station and getting a shower."

Kaminari let out a short laugh. "I thought you would never ask! I think these clothes are about to get up and walk on their own!" He joked, and Kirishima let out a small chuckle as the three turned to move out of the hangar.

The trio continued to talk, laughing and joking all the way into town. As they moved, they looked around the small town that had formed around the floating station. It was colorful and bright, with plenty of people moving around with cheer in their faces. It seemed to be a much better atmosphere than the neutral station. If anything, it showed how much better the Federation made the lives of people under them.

Given what was going on around town, though, it may have also been a special day. Festive lanterns were hanging out and around the shops, and everyone seemed to be out and about in their best outfits.

The shop that the trio had gone into was purposefully close to the hangar. Most of them were; some ships simply needed to go in, restock, and leave while they were travelling, and so the merchants had set up shop close so they could sell more for higher. It was a solid business strategy, and it worked well. Because of this, none of them had actually seen this before.

As the trio walked down the cobbled pathway, they took note of how many people were laughing and talking.

"This place seems kinda...unnaturally happy." Kaminari said, a hint of unease in his tone.

"Well, isn't that a good thing? This place is run by the Federation, so it'd make sense if they didn't have to worry about the little things." Ashido said, reassuring him.

"Yeah, I get that, but doesn't all of this look a little _too_ simple and happy? Half of the shops aren't even open, and the ones that are have no customers. This place doesn't _feel_ right." Kaminari pressed, eyes shifting around warily.

Now that he brought it up, Kirishima could see what he meant. There _were_ a lot of inconsistencies with what was going on around here. Even the basic medicinal shops were closed down. That _couldn't_ be natural.

"Yeah, I noticed that too...but it could just be a holiday. We shouldn't let our guard down, but it could be simpler than it seems." Kirishima reasoned, trying to find a neutral stance on the matter.

The trio were quiet for a second, until Ashido suddenly spoke up. "Well, instead of wondering about it, why don't we just ask?" She suggested, already taking off and walking towards a couple who were holding hands and talking.

"Ashido, wait-!" Kirishima urged quietly, only to stop short.

Ashido had waved and said hello, and yet the people completely ignored her. They didn't just ignore her; they kept on walking and talking as though she wasn't there, completely oblivious to her presence. Ashido moved aside quietly as they passed, giving them a perturbed look. The pair gave Kaminari and Kirishima the same treatment- despite the stares that bored into them, the couple didn't so much as twitch.

Kaminari hesitantly reached a hand out to touch them, and after Kirishima didn't stop him, he did so.

No reaction, even as they were jostled.

Kirishima gulped, suddenly feeling a bead of sweat roll down his face. "O-okay, so I think we can agree that there's something wrong with this place." He suggested quietly to his two friends, who nodded in agreement.

"Let's just...find a hotel and hope it's not like this in the morning." Kaminari suggested.

"Don't you want to know what's going on out here?" Ashido asked, mouth creased in a worried line.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that I'm willing to go investigating! There are heroes here; heroes who can and will deal with it if something's going on. It's not our job. We can actually get _in trouble_ if we try to. I'm not going back to jail, and especially not for vigilantism!" Kaminari argued, a worried drive in his eyes. Ashido looked surprised, but understanding.

This was something that didn't sit right with Kirishima. Ashido had accepted that Kaminari had been sent to Tartarus with far too much ease. He didn't have room to judge, but it had seemed _too_ easy. Either way, that wasn't the problem right now.

"Kaminari's right. It wouldn't be good if we caused a ruckus because we got suspicious." Kirishima hesitantly found himself agreeing.

"But...But what if these people can't do anything about the situation, and we're the only ones who can help? We could end up ruining their hopes!" Ashido made one final plea.

It pained Kirishima to watch as Ashido's expression turned to frustration. "I know what you mean, but…" Kirishima trailed off. He didn't _have_ a defence.

He wanted to help, but that same feeling was offset by his fear.

If it was a Quirk, then it was strong enough to affect the entire town. As they had talked, no one had even batted an eye at the three. The Quirk was even strong enough to affect other races, including the famously mentally strong Slugs. So what chance would they _really_ have if they fought someone like that?

He was stuck in a crossroads of being a hero and being sensible.

Ashido sighed, seeming to deflate. "I...guess that you're right. Let's just get settled down." She said, dejected.

Kirishima's heart panged as he watched the disappointment and worry on her face blossom.

With their decision made, the trio made their way further into town, the atmosphere heavy and tense. They, however, were not the only ones to be experiencing such troubles.

* * *

"IF YOU DON'T LET ME BUY A GODDAMN SHIP, I'LL KILL YOU AND LEAVE ON MY OWN, YOU BASTARD!" Bakugo roared at the man in front of him, who devolved into another series of giggles.

The last _twenty minutes_ had been just this- Bakugo slowly getting more and more enraged as he tried to buy a ship. The man in front of him had just laughed at him the entire time and seemed to be just _ignoring_ him at this point.

Finally, Bakugo snapped.

"I'll give you to the count of five, and if you don't answer me, I'll kill you." Bakugo growled, grabbing the merchant by the cuff of his shirt and raising him from where he sat to eye level. He let out a small explosion.

"One." Another explosion, slightly larger. His temper was beginning to spike, even as the man's eyes continued to be as glazed as they were a few second ago.

"Two!" Bakugo exclaimed, jostling the man in front of him.

Bakugo's heart skipped a beat, and he froze in his counting as dread overtook him.

Bakugo head turned sharply to look behind him. The streets were barren. That should have been his first clue that something was off.

Nothing visible yet. But it was there...somewhere.

Buildings were all behind him, but he was in a shop. There wasn't a good line of sight on him, was there?

...No, there was. There was one window. That one would be-

A flash of light came from that window, and Bakugo moved on instinct, throwing himself to the side and away from the man.

Just to watch as a laser impacted the chest of the man he had just been holding, right where Bakugo's heart had been a moment earlier.

* * *

There were several pro heroes on duty on this station. Aizawa Shouta wasn't one of them, and yet he was there anyways.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be there. He wouldn't even consider going near the station as part of his normal routine. But, as it stood, he needed to refuel on the way to Tartarus, and this station was one of the most reliable.

Or, it should have been, but he had known that something was off the second that he had stepped foot on the station.

Call it instinct, call it a sense of foreboding, call it whatever you wished, but he knew that _something_ was going on.

So, when he tried talking to some of the people around and got ignored completely, he knew it was going to be a longer day than it should have.

He had tested everything; activating his Quirk on the citizens, being rough with them, even stopping them completely. They had been completely vacant, looking past him instead of at him.

Aizawa had been here before. He knew that this place was well defended. So who, exactly, would go to such lengths to brainwash what appeared to be most of the interior of the station? And why? What logical purpose could it serve?

He had been exploring for a good half hour when he heard a familiar popping sound, a sound that set his mind alight with worry.

It was the sound of a sniper laser, silenced. It was nearby, but where had it came from exactly?

Glass shattering was his first hint on where the attack had taken place. He knew first aid; if the person wasn't dead, then he could reach them and keep them alive until he could get them to a hospital. He didn't know where the attacker was, although he could figure it out if he could get to the crime scene.

That settled it: his first goal was to give aid to whoever had been attacked. That also ran the risk of the attacker sticking around and waiting for first responders, but that was unlikely. Snipers tended to move around, refusing to stay in one spot. With this attack, they would probably try to leave the station as soon as possible, especially if they were a mercenary.

A flash of light came from a nearby window, and Aizawa's eyes widened. Had the man missed his first shot, or was he simply just trying to take out as many people as possible? Or was he trying to attack one specific target, and failing? There were several unknown variables right now, and if he tried to take an action without all of the information, then it could end poorly. Aizawa quickly pressed himself against the wall of a nearby building, out of the line of sight of the sniper.

And then, he heard it. A familiar sound that explained most of, if not all, of the current circumstances.

It was a series of explosions. Normally, this would be worrisome, cause for alarm. If Aizawa didn't recognize these explosions, he would be significantly more worried.

The main reason he recognized the explosions was the enraged yelling that came with them.

Following the source of the noise, Aizawa could see the cause of many of his headaches barrelling down the path towards Aizawa like a speeding bullet. With a slight deviation in said bullet's path, the next shot was evaded.

Then, the flying man reached Aizawa, and for a moment, Aizawa locked eyes with Bakugo Katsuki for the first time in years.

The boy's expression shifted from righteously enraged to surprised, and with a surprising amount of control, the boy fired off an explosion to move behind cover opposite of Aizawa, conveniently avoiding a bullet that was directly in his path.

"What the HELL are you doing here?" Bakugo spat, rage quickly overcoming his features.

Aizawa sighed. Some things really just didn't change.

"I came here to refuel and help find you. At this point, both jobs are complete, but it would be most logical if we took down this sniper first." Aizawa replied shortly, wincing as a shot passed through the building, just shy of Bakugo's head. The boy seemed unfazed.

"I don't need your help in taking down this shithead! Just go help the shitty old man back in the store. He took a hit." Bakugo said, waving down the path he came from.

"Why didn't you try to provide aid yourself?" Aizawa asked, mildly alarmed.

"In case you forgot, I'm being SHOT AT!" Bakugo roared, throwing his head down as yet another shot passed where it used to be.

Aizawa smirked slightly.

"You motherfucker." Bakugo muttered, before pushing away from cover with an explosion and firing off towards the enemy.

Aizawa sighed, throwing his capture rope upwards to get on top of the rooftops. Bakugo had a valid point; it would be best if they split their forces. Still...Even if he had dropped out and became something of a villain, the kid still had potential to be a great hero.

Had Bakugo truly turned from that path, he would have fought Aizawa the second he noticed him, or ignored the fact that the old man was in peril.

Aizawa, now on the rooftops, took a quick glance as Bakugo continued to use his explosions to weave his way through lasers and rapidly approach the building.

 _I'm counting on you, kid. Show me that potential that you displayed, all the way back then!_

* * *

Bakugo shoved the Aizawa incident to the back of his mind as he moved his way through lasers. His mind felt distant, relying completely on instinct. It felt good to let loose, to be back at 100%.

He was watching intently, waiting for the moment when the shots would stop. He was close to the building, and the window wasn't too high up, two or three stories at the most.

He was almost at the base of the building. One final flash of light, one more dodge, and suddenly, Bakugo was at the bottom.

Bakugo glanced inside the window, looked at the stairs and the elevators, and placed his hands beneath him.

 _Why go through when you can go above?_

An explosion cut loose from his palms, and Bakugo was soaring.

He reached the third floor window with ease. Right where the sniper was. With a fluid kick, he was flying through the window, glass shards digging into the jeans that he had borrowed from Shitty Hair.

His foot impacted with...nothing. Bakugo transitioned into a roll and stayed in a crouching position, palms to the floor, as his eyes quickly scanned the area around him.

"The sniper...was just a drone?" Bakugo muttered, looking on with confusion at the setup.

A gun clicked behind him, and something pressed into the back of his head.

Bakugo's eyes widened.

"Bakugo Katsuki. Finally caught you." A voice, male and gruff, came from the man behind him.

Bakugo rolled his eyes. The man was choosing to do his speech first. Typical.

"You know, there are a lot of people who say that you're invincible. That you can't be beat in a fight, that you're second only to Deku. If that's true, then what does that make me? After all, I outsmarted you, and with such a simple trick." The man continued, his voice growing a disbelieving tone.

Bakugo stayed quiet.

"What, no response? I heard that your tongue is as quick as your hands. No snarky comeback, no insults? I don't know whether to feel offended or proud." The man said, a more aggressive tone to his voice.

"You're not worth the dirt beneath my feet." Bakugo responded lowly, his tone as cold as his heart.

The man was silent for a long moment.

"You know, people will probably thank me for this. I'll be paraded around, showered in money, have a different woman every night." The man said, a hostile, yet docile, tone to his voice.

"The galaxy _hates_ you, Bakugo Katsuki."

Bakugo closed his eyes.

"No one will miss you when you're gone. Not your 'friends', and certainly not your family." the man said, digging the gun into Bakugo's head.

"And I, Venus, shall be praised as the savior of the galaxy from the blight that is Bakugo Katsuki!" Venus said with a laugh.

"Venus? That's your villain name?" Bakugo asked, tone completely neutral.

"Tch- Yes. And to think, I didn't even need to bother the boss with you." The man said, a more giddy tone to his voice, although he seemed perturbed that his name had been revealed.

"I'll make sure the name makes it to your tombstone." Bakugo said, allowing himself to smirk.

The man behind him was silent for a short moment, before letting out a surprised "Wha-"

The ground below Bakugo exploded, covering almost the entire room with a thick cloud of smoke.

Throughout the entire conversation, Bakugo had been pooling nitroglycerin onto the ground, which could have been used for this exact purpose.

Bakugo moved instantly, closing his eyes to protect them from the smoke and moving his head away from the gun, which went off almost a second after he moved away. Instantly Bakugo had grabbed the arm holding the gun, and, by following that arm, grabbed the face of the man. Picking him up by the head, Bakugo forcibly threw the man down to the ground with a firm grip still on his head, and kicked the gun out of his hands.

In a single instant, the tables had been turned.

With one palm on the man's chest crackling with light explosions, Bakugo gave off an evil smirk as the smoke cleared.

Below him was what appeared to be a grizzled man, not quite old but certainly not young. He wasn't exactly attractive, either. He had a poorly trimmed beard, as well as hair that was far longer than it should have been.

"You'll tell me everything or I'll blow your ass to kingdom come." Bakugo threatened, voice low.

"Like hell I'll tell _you_ \- AGHHH!" The man screamed as Bakugo applied some of the strongest consecutive explosions that he could create, right over his chest.

"Tell me your Quirk, and I'll ease up. From there, the more you tell me, the lighter I go. You tell me everything that you know, and maybe you'll go to prison with just some broken ribs." Bakugo snarled, forcing even more power into his explosions.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! I'll tell you! I'll tell you, just stop!" The man complained, tears starting to roll down his cheeks.

Bakugo slowed down on the explosions somewhat.

"What's your quirk, swamp-boy!" Bakugo asked, a mad glint to his eyes.

"I-Infatuation! I can make those who talk to me without ill intent float on the clouds with happiness, and make them completely ignore anyone who talk to THEM!" Venus screamed as Bakugo sped up with his explosions.

"How did you know where to find me?" Bakugo continued, smirking as his target squirmed.

"I-I don't know! I just get information from the boss! He said you would be here!" Venus said, shaking in pain.

Bakugo eased up on the explosions somewhat. Even he could tell that being too cruel would cause the man to lock up.

"You're doing good. A little more and your suffering will end. Now, who is your boss?" Bakugo pressured, placing his palm directly on the man's now-splotchy and somewhat charred chest.

"I-I-I don't know who he is, or even what he looks like! We just call him Jupiter!" Venus divulged, and Bakugo's eyes twitched.

He had had enough classes to know where this was going. They had something of a theme going on, didn't they?"

"How many of you are there!" Bakugo growled, feeling far more irritated than before and applying pressure as he activated another small stream of explosions on the man's chest.

"T-twelve! Twelve! Please, stop! I don't know any more!" The man begged, tears now running down his face full force.

"Who's after me next?" Bakugo asked, using his hold on the man's neck to his advantage by lightly strangling him.

"I have no idea! I swear that I don't! We're barely told anything!" The man swore, and Bakugo sighed.

He had strung out as much info as possible from this man. He looked broken, and was thus useless to Bakugo.

"So you guys are just lackies for the big boss?" Bakugo asked, stopping with the explosions.

"Y-yes...He's the strongest of us. He united us...gave us a place." The man muttered, refusing to lock eyes with Bakugo.

Bakugo snorted. That sort of idealism...It was useless, and utterly pathetic.

Bakugo slammed the man's head down onto the floor beneath him, and Venus was sent into unconsciousness.

He stood up, stretching his limbs. _Damn_ , he hadn't interrogated anyone in a while. He might have been losing his touch.

A light sound echoed on the windowsill behind him, and Bakugo turned, arms raised for a fight.

He sighed when he saw that it was just Aizawa, but otherwise stayed at the ready. Aizawa sighed in just the same manner.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk to you." Aizawa said, not moving from the window. His eyes glanced down to below Bakugo, widened slightly, then turned back to Bakugo.

"I see that you subdued the villain." Aizawa said, moving in and past the now-deactivated drone.

"Yeah. Fucker called himself Venus." Bakugo said looking back down at his prey.

Aizawa frowned. "Like the planet?"

"The god, I think." Bakugo noted idly, nudging the man with his foot. He still didn't move.

"I'll call him an ambulance. Whatever you did seemed to have gotten the station back to normal." Aizawa informed him, to which Bakugo snorted.

"I don't give a damn. I just need to get out of here. Is the shitty old man alive?" Bakugo asked shortly, cracking his neck.

"He'll live, but he's going to be out of comission for the time being." Aizawa glanced around. "Follow me. This isn't the greatest place to be talking."

Bakugo sighed. "I don't have time for this…" He grumbled, but followed the man anyways. Out of anyone in the Federation, Aizawa was probably the one he was most worried to fight. Plus, the older man was smart, and would likely know that it would cause too much of a ruckus if they fought here and now.

The two set off into town, with Bakugo grumbling his complaints all the while.

* * *

Aizawa lead them to a cafe, where the man had ordered juice and Bakugo had ordered _absolutely nothing because he didn't plan on staying, damn it!_

Here, the two men sat- one nursing his juice and the other trying his damn hardest to control his patience.

Finally, Bakugo spoke up, voice gruff and demanding.

"What the fuck do you want, teach?"

Aizawa simply sighed, bringing the cup to his lips once more before setting it down on the table with a soft _clink_.

Bakugo's eyes twitched, but he did nothing.

"Why did you leave?" Aizawa asked, staring directly into Bakugo's eyes.

Bakugo blinked. "You already have all the information on file, don't you? Just look at that." He said, crossing his arms and throwing his feet up on the table.

"I know that the information is on file. I've looked over it twenty times in the past week. I want to hear the truth from the source." Aizawa said, tired eyes boring into Bakugo with a determination that surprised the man.

Bakugo sighed, bringing his feet down and resting his hands on his knees. "You really wanna know, huh?" He asked, despondent.

Aizawa grunted in confirmation, signalling for Bakugo to continue.

"I left because I got goddamn tired of everyone walking around me like they were on eggshells. I didn't fucking care that All Might died- he was a pathetic hero who let himself die over a single civilian. Deku then became insistent on being _so like him_ that I was worried that All Might was possessing him from the grave just to tell me off one last time." Bakugo spat out some half-truth that he hoped would hold his old teacher over.

Aizawa's eyes flashed red for a small moment, before he took a long deep breath that encompassed his whole body.

"All Might was a man worthy of your respect, despite his flaws as a hero. Don't insult his memory and what he did for you by continuing down your path." Aizawa scolded, and suddenly, Bakugo felt like he was back in the classroom again. Then, he blinked, and the tired man in front of him suddenly seemed so much more bedraggled and sad, and he was reminded of reality.

Bakugo snorted, closing his eyes. "The only thing that All Might did for me was lose, and true heroes never lose. If he really wanted to help everyone that he could, then he would have won." Bakugo's eyes opened, and the cold indifference in his heart was matched by the fiery rage in his old teacher's eyes.

"You-" Aizawa started, almost fuming as he made to rise from his seat. After a small moment, he took another stabilizing breath, and sat back down in his seat.

"Is this what you've been reduced to? Insulting and pushing away those who aid you and mentally as well as physically scarring your enemies?" Aizawa lashed out verbally.

Bakugo's face was set in a neutral expression. "Aizawa, I've been around the galaxy three times now. I've learned that friendship will get you shot in the back and that anything but utter ruthlessness will get you killed. All Might was the biggest damn fool for not seeing that, and Deku even more so."

Something in Aizawa's expression shifted, and his anger seemed to drain away in front of Bakugo's eyes.

"It's been so long...I didn't even consider what you've been through. I suppose that your condition is partially my fault, as well. I was entrusted by your parents to watch over you students, and I have failed you the most." Aizawa said, his tone resigned and...pitying.

Bakugo's lips curled in an ugly sneer. "Are you fucking pitying me? Don't look down on me like that you fucker! I don't need that shit from you!" Bakugo spat, feeling his anger build even more as the look on Aizawa's face intensified.

Aizawa was quiet for a long moment.

Just when Bakugo was prepared to get up and storm out of the cafe, Aizawa spoke again.

"Are you aware that the space station _Aeon_ was destroyed, just a few days ago?" Aizawa asked, his tone heavy and face burdened.

"What the hell is with that change in subject? And of course I know, bastard! I was _there_!" Bakugo exclaimed, folding his arms once more.

"And are you aware of where the Mantis fleet that attacked it originated from?" Aizawa continued, not even looking fazed at the information or acknowledging Bakugo's question.

"I don't give a damn." Bakugo spat, knowing that Aizawa was going to tell him anyways.

"It was a fleet defending a Mantis-controlled sector, one hundred strong. They were reduced to forty after attacking a Federation ship, which allowed them to escape without giving chase." Aizawa said, staring down into his juice.

Bakugo's eyes widened. The only ship strong enough to deal that much damage-!

"Are you telling me...that Deku let _forty fucking_ angry Mantis ships get away without sending a _single_ ship after them? He has an entire platoon of fuckwits with him, for fuck's sake!" Bakugo said, voice low and filled with anger.

"You're not the only one who had that reaction. As it stands, the Federation is teetering on the edge of a second civil war with the rebels." Aizawa said idly, still refusing to meet Bakugo's eyes.

Bakugo let out a strangled sound. "It's been less than a year since I was imprisoned! How the fuck did things get so bad so quickly?" He pressured, leaning forward.

Aizawa met his eyes. "It started when you were broken out of prison." He started, and Bakugo let out a short laugh.

"You're telling me that the galaxy has gone to shit in the span of a week because I broke out of prison? Isn't Deku supposed to be the new _Symbol of Hope_?" Bakugo taunted, watching Aizawa's expression.

Aizawa glared at him. "No, there's far more to it. Not everything is about you."

Bakugo snorted and let out a few choice words under his breath, but Aizawa pretended to not hear him.

"After you were broken out, Endeavor, the leader of the rebels, as I'm sure that you know, was in an uproar. Some of his best ships were guarding that prison, and there were none left standing. With Deku not responding to any of his calls and reports of an unsanctioned chase through Mantis territory, he was made furious. He's been threatening war for the past few days over it, but that station was the straw that broke the camel's back in this case. A neutral station was attacked and destroyed by Federation negligence, and he sees that as a personal attack on him. If Deku still refuses to answer him, then war will break out tomorrow." Aizawa explained slowly and methodically, tone speaking of a man who had seen too much in too short a time in his life and was now weary.

Bakugo was speechless for a long second.

"That's why I wished to talk to you. I was heading to Tartarus of my own volition to see if I could find you based on the security tapes there and through Earphone Jack's accounts." Aizawa said, locking eyes with Bakugo.

Bakugo's eyes hardened. "Aizawa. What the hell is going on here? Why the hell is Deku being so reckless? That damn nerd wouldn't normally fuck this up, so what the hell changed?" Bakugo asked, although he could venture a guess as to what he would receive as an answer.

Aizawa sighed, taking a long drink of his juice. It clinked on the table once more, now empty.

"All For One has been broken out of prison." Aizawa said, sounding hollow.

Bakugo didn't know how to respond. He wasn't sure what to feel, aside from dread.

"I fear that Deku has entered a rage, seeking revenge at all costs. He's following what he believes to be his only lead, when it could very well just be a red herring. I'm not sure how to get through to him, which is why I'm coming to you." Aizawa said, eyes dejected as he looked at Bakugo.

"And you think he'll listen to _me?_ " Bakugo asked, disbelieving.

"I _know_ that he'll listen to you. Did you know that he would often use you as a model for what he should do to reach victory? More than once, in a battle simulation, he would say to himself, 'Act like Kacchan.' Heh. If I had a credit for every time he said that..." Aizawa mused, a wistful expression on his face.

"He wasn't the only one, you know. When you left, everyone's combat prowess dipped noticeably. Your presence gave them a spark in their hearts that simply dimmed when you were gone. I'm sure that I wasn't the only one to notice it." Aizawa continued, ignoring the incredulous look on Bakugo's face.

"In this case, you're the only shot that we have of fully getting through to him. Normally, I would have captured you on sight, but in this case, you're more useful to me free." Aizawa finished, looking to Bakugo for an answer.

 _So, the fate of the galaxy rests on my shoulders, huh? Doesn't really seem like the proper place for it to be happening. I'm pretty sure that woman over there is breastfeeding her little shit, but that's really not something that I should point out right now._

Bakugo's lips curled. "What's in it for me?"

Aizawa's response was quick, practiced. He had clearly expected him to ask this question. "You do this, and I help you get a pardon from Deku, assuming it goes over well. I'll also let you go right now, no questions asked." He responded easily, a sour expression on his face.

Bakugo whistled. "You're really fucking desperate, huh? Fine, I'll do it. Hell, I'll do it right now." Bakugo said, digging out his comms system.

He had Deku's comm number in his comm. Deku had given it to him, so many years ago, right after telling him that he could use it if he was ever in trouble. Bakugo had sneered and yelled at him, but he kept the number, just in case.

Bakugo pressed the call button, and ignored the pit in his stomach as it began to dial.

* * *

Midoriya Izuku stared into hyperspace ahead of him, mind racing as always.

He had so many different ways to go about catching All For One, but how exactly should he go about it? When he finally found him, would he toy with the subhuman trash, or would he outright defeat him? Or would he lose? Would he even make it that far? How would he deal with the multitude of physical Quirks that the man had acquired, let alone the ones that he was unaware of? He was certain that he could simply plan around them, but was it possible to plan for _literally_ _every_ scenario?

"Sir, there's an incoming call for you." Their communications officer said, a mild tone of alarm in her voice.

Midoriya sighed. "If it's Endeavor again, hang it up. I don't want to deal with him." he said, despondent. Endeavor had been breathing down his neck for the last week or so, and the rogue hero was getting on his nerves.

"Actually, sir, it's an...unknown number. It doesn't match anything or anyone important in our database. Would you like me to hang it up?" She asked, sounding mildly concerned. By now, some heads were turning to watch the proceedings.

"Let me see it first." Midoriya commanded, interested. Who would be calling now, and how would they have gotten their comm number? It was supposed to be secure.

Midoriya frowned as he read the number. "Doesn't look familiar…" He muttered, reading it over again.

"Let me take it." Midoriya said, nudging his communications officer out of the way as he slid into the seat, putting the headset on.

He clicked the Accept Call button, slightly worried about what voice would be coming through the comms.

"Hello?" He called out, slightly nervously.

" _Deku_."

Midoriya froze.

"K-Kacchan!" Midoriya yelled, standing up before he could even process what he was doing.

By now, the entire bridge was paying attention.

" _Trace this and you'll never see me again._ " Kacchan said, and Midoriya's hand froze from where it was moving. He let out a long sigh, pulling himself back down into the chair and motioning for one of the people on the bridge to bring him a notebook. Within seconds, one was pressed into his hands, alongside a pen.

" _Listen up, Deku, because I'm only going to say this once._ " Kacchan said, voice slightly more tame than he expected. The notebook was already open, with Midoriya taking notes.

" _If you're trying to be like All Might, stop now."_ Kacchan said, and Midoriya froze.

"K-Kach-" Midoriya began.

" _Shut the FUCK up and let me talk, Deku!_ " Kacchan's voice rang loud and clear through the comm, especially the 'loud' part.

" _Anyways, if you're trying to be like All Might, then you're already failing. All Might put the citizens of the galaxy before himself, and it got him killed. You seem to be taking a step in the right direction by not caring about the people that you're supposed to be watching._ " Kacchan's voice came through the comms, and Midoriya's blood ran cold. Was he-was he talking about…

" _I was on that station, Deku. I heard the alarms, I heard the people panicking. Forty ships, Deku. Even you should have known not to let them go. You should have killed those bastards before they could even think about fighting back, let alone getting away._ " Kacchan scolded harshly. Midoriya felt uncertainty and guilt grip him again. Kacchan...he was saying exactly what Midoriya had thought to himself, so many times over.

" _You know, answering calls will often make people less likely to want to fight. Were you even aware of what Endeavor planned on?_ " Kacchan asked, changing the subject suddenly, and for the third time that day, uncertainty gripped him like a stone dragging him down into a cold lake.

Kacchan took Midoriya's silence as confirmation. " _Of course you didn't. You were such a nerd back then. Did that big ass head of yours go down the drain when you became number one? Did you forget that there's still work to do when you reached the peak? Why the hell do you think that Endeavor's been so insistent on calling you? If you don't talk to the bastard, he's going to declare war._ " Kacchan's voice rang through, sincere and clear, and Midoriya underlined 'WAR' three times before the meaning really stuck with him. He blanched.

"W-wait, you mean-" Midoriya started, but Kacchan continued as though he hadn't even started talking.

" _It's been eight hundred years since the last civil war. Don't fuck this up, Deku._ " And with a single click, the call was terminated.

Midoriya's shaking hands dropped the pen that he had filled an entire page of notes with, simply titled 'Kacchan'.

The bridge was silent as they looked to Midoriya for answers.

His head drooped somewhat.

He didn't know how to lead these people. That much was glaringly obvious, He had lead so many people to death, and Kacchan had made that clear.

What use was he as a leader if he couldn't even protect those that he was supposed to be leading?

"Get Endeavor on call." Midoriya commanded, voice shaking.

This was the solution that would save the galaxy...right, Kacchan?

* * *

Bakugo hung up the comm channel dramatically, looking at Aizawa with a smug grin.

His old teacher simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"I've done pretty much all I can. Don't expect me to do something like this again." Bakugo said, shoving his comm back in his pocket, annoyed.

He hadn't ever wanted to consider talking to Deku again, unless it was after he kicked his shit in. This was the price of freedom, he supposed.

"You better come through on your end." Bakugo said, narrowing his eyes. He had gotten as close to a promise as possible from Aizawa, but the man could be tricky at times.

"I'll try, but you know how Deku is regarding you. Emotional, illogical, and still broken on the inside. He may simply refuse, and if he does, then there's nothing else that I can do." Aizawa said, looking dejected.

Bakugos sighed. He knew it couldn't be that easy. Not that a pardon would do him that much good anyways, since there was no way in hell he could become a hero or settle down. Even bounty hunters or mercenaries were considered to be vigilantes, and were arrested if someone noticed.

"Bakugo. Do you know what you plan on doing from here on?" Aizawa asked carefully, tone measured. Bakugo raised an eyebrow. Since when did _he_ care?

"Dealing with those fuckers chasing me down, taking my ship back, and then…" Bakugo trailed off, eyes focused off into the distance.

"After I get my ship back, I'm going to kill All For One." Bakugo proclaimed, voice deadly serious.

If Aizawa was surprised, he didn't show it outwardly.

A long silence stretched between the pair as Aizawa seemed to judge him. His eyes looked like a parent's after discovering that their child had stolen from the cookie jar.

"To what end?" Aizawa asked, voice level.

"Deku's either going to fuck it up and try to fight him alone, or he won't kill him. No matter what, that bastard's going to get out alive. He's too old to fall for what Deku tries to pull, too experienced. That's the difference between them and him. He has age, wisdom, experience, where I have power." Bakugo admitted, his pride stinging. There was no two ways around it- All For One was _crafty_ , even without using any of his Quirks. He was even worse than Deku. Hell, if Bakugo didn't know better, he would say that Deku was the hellspawn of the bastard himself.

"And you believe that you can beat him in this manner?" Aizawa asked, a slight edge to his tone.

Bakugo was quiet for a long moment, looking down, thoughts swimming around in his head.

"...Yeah. Yeah, I do. Whether or not I get there before or after Deku, I'm killing the bastard." Bakugo promised, his heart turning to stone.

Aizawa looked resigned, but nodded.

"I don't believe that you can kill him with your level of conviction." Aizawa said bluntly, and anger surged into Bakugo's heart.

"Who the hell do you think I am, huh? I'm gonna send that bastard to kingdom come! They'll have to scrape pieces of him off of the sidewalk!" Bakugo raged, earning him strange glances from those in the cafe.

And then, a small chuckle. Bakugo's anger fizzled out, and instead he was left to stare at his old homeroom teacher with a bewildered expression on his face.

"That's the type of conviction you need to kill him. If you're looking to win, you need to win with a resounding _boom_. But, you also have to keep in mind...All Might fought him, in his prime, and they had a draw, then again when he was at his end and lost. As it stands, could you beat the All Might you fought in the final exams?" Aizawa asked, mirth draining from his face to be replaced by a look of serious determination.

Bakugo was silent as he stared down his old teacher.

A scowl formed on his face.

"Without a shadow of a doubt." Bakugo responded, conviction seeping from every word.

This time, Aizawa did look surprised.

"In fact, if I fought Deku, even with his borrowed power, I would win." Bakugo continued, treating each word as an absolute truth.

"There's a difference between conviction and arrogance." Aizawa was quick to retort.

"I'm being serious, Teach. If Deku tried to fight, or All Might came back from the grave to try and kick my ass, then I would win. That's what heroes do." The words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"You're not a hero anymore, Bakugo." Aizawa reminded him, his tone harsh.

"Well, I'm doing a damn finer job than some of the best, now aren't I!" Bakugo retorted, a fire blazing in his heart.

"The best don't torture people for information, you arrogant child!" Aizawa fired right back, voice restrained yet weary.

"No, they just let people die under their watch!" Bakugo snorted, leaning back.

"I-" Aizawa started, but apparently thought better of it and looked down.

Bakugo sighed, massaging his forehead. Talking to Aizawa was proving to be nothing but a nightmare of a headache. Besides, it wasn't as though the hero industry were perfect. There were so many flaws, so much corruption and overgrowth that nothing short of a flamethrower could hope to fix it. He wasn't the only one to notice this, either. Countless forums had been posting about it, ever since All Might's death shined some light on the industry.

"You still haven't answered my question. To what end do you wish to do this? What purpose could you have for it?" Aizawa pressed, stern eyes gazing into Bakugo's soul.

Bakugo was quiet for a moment.

"...It's easier to dodge the Federation than average villains. Chaos is my fucking ballpark, but not when it's not organized. I prefer the heroes being in power over that shitty bastard.

Aizawa regarded him with a curious eye, but Bakugo refused to relent.

"Bakugo. I didn't address it earlier, but just how do you plan on taking your ship back?" Aizawa asked, massaging his temples as he changed the subject.

Bakugo snorted. "Easy. I buy a ship, get decent cloaking, sneak into the _One for All_ , and take it back."

Aizawa stared at him as though he had grown a third head.

"Don't fucking look at me like that. I'm not telling you shit about my plans. Who fucking knows whether or not you're recording this entire conversation." Bakugo sniped, crossing his arms.

"I'm not, for the record. But how do you plan on buying a ship now that the dealer has been injured?" Aizawa asked, gauging Bakugo's reaction.

Bakugo froze, his eyes widening.

" _Fuck!_ " He seethed under his breath.

It hadn't crossed his mind, with the whole situation with Venus and meeting up with Aizawa. The fact that he had never gotten a ship had completely slipped his mind.

But, if he didn't have a ship…

"I'm not the only hero here. If you wait until that store re-opens, then you're bound to get caught sooner or later. With the racket that you had made, you can be certain that people know that you're here, so you'll be searched for. It's the most logical course of action." Aizawa continued, unperturbed.

"There's nothing to worry about." Bakugo spoke up suddenly, an easy smile resting on his face.

Aizawa gave Bakugo a scrutinous look.

"I can get a ride. There are a couple layabouts that should still be here that can give me a ride." Bakugo said with absolute certainty.

Aizawa hummed, and Bakugo pulled himself to his feet.

He had done all that he could here. He had talked to his old teacher, and there was nothing else that he could say.

"Bakugo." Aizawa said, stopping him from leaving right that moment.

"Whatever it is you're planning, let me tell you this: A true hero isn't only measured by their strength, or their ability to save a person, or even how popular they are or how heroic their hearts are. There's more to it, and not even All Might had that quality. If you're looking to redeem yourself, the first step would be figuring out exactly what that is." Aizawa said slowly, eyes boring into Bakugo.

Bakugo paused, Aizawa's words rolling through his head. He snorted.

"Why would I care about any of that? I'm not looking to redeem myself. I've made my decision, and nothing that I could do would make me want to change that." Bakugo said, turning away from Aizawa.

"Keep yourself safe, you shitty old man. Don't need more people dying on my ass." Bakugo said quietly, unsure of whether or not Aizawa even caught it.

But he could have sworn that he saw a small smile on the old man's face as Bakugo left the building.

* * *

 **Alright, I feel like that's a good place to leave this chapter off on. Lots of plot going on here. I know that Kirishima and co's story was just kinda left open-ended, but that's gonna be dealt with as soon as next chapter starts.**

 **First thing I want to address- the villains. Under normal circumstances, I would try to use the characters already established in the story. However, in this case, it's almost necessary to make a new set of villains. None of them will get extensive coverage, and very few of them will be important to the development to any of the characters. I know that very few people like OC's, and I can be counted among that number. I don't like them either. However, in order to keep a cohesive story, I have to create an outside influence, as the heroes will already have dealt with most problems in the story thus far, such as Overhaul.**

 **So, Bakugo can't buy a new ship and is stranded, and Midoriya is making rookie mistakes. Really, they're in the same boat.**

 **Anyways, this chapter was a bitch to write. Lot of changing viewpoints. I feel like it came out okay, though. I liked it.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Anonymuss45, signing off.**


	6. Going Places

**An Explosive Arbiter**

 **Chapter 6: Going Places**

Kirishima stared in intense concentration at Ashido, waiting with bated breath as she mulled over his words.

Her lips parted slightly, then closed. A small smile graced her face, and Kirishima allowed himself a moment of hope.

"Go fish." She said, a devious look crossing her face.

"DAMN IT!" Kirishima roared, punching the carpet beneath him.

"How are you so good at this game?" Kirishima moaned, slumping forward.

"I think we might just be bad…" Kaminari added from beside him.

The trio had gotten a hotel room with a little bit of money to spare. They were about as stocked up as they could be, and they would be leaving in the morning. For now, though, they needed to kill some time before they went to sleep.

And so, here they were, playing card games to pass the time.

Ashido chuckled. "Maybe if you were a card master like me, you would have a chance at beating me!" She proclaimed, laughing evilly.

"You're cheating, aren't you?" Kaminari asked suddenly, a deadpan expression on his face, and Ashido's laughter was cut off with a choked noise.

"Uh-no, what makes you say that?" Ashido said, laughing nervously.

"Pardon me." Kirishima muttered, grabbing Ashido's arm and rolling up her sleeve despite her words of protest.

Cards of all different kinds fluttered out of her sleeve, and Kirishima gave Ashido a disbelieving expression.

"You cheated at _Go Fish_." Kaminari asked incredulously.

"My pride was on the line, okay?" Ashido complained, looking genuinely guilty.

"We're playing _GO FISH_!" Kaminari shot right back, a disbelieving expression on his face.

A knock on the door sounded throughout the room, and all three persons inside paused in their small squabble.

Instantly, the three were on guard.

 _Who could it be? We didn't call room service, and there's no one that we're expecting..._

Kirishima rose to his feet, walking towards the door with his Quirk ready to activate at any moment.

Slowly, he opened the door, and his eyes widened.

In front of him stood Bakugo, looking annoyed and frazzled. One small part of his hair seemed to be burned off, and the clothes that Kirishima had given him looked even more frazzled than before with a long cut in the shirt. He looked like he had fought, and recently.

"Bakugo? What are you doing here?" Kirishima asked, genuinely surprised.

"Long story." Bakugo said, pushing past Kirishima to enter the room, amidst the surprised cries of Kaminari and Ashido.

"I'm taking a shower. I'll explain when I get back." Bakugo said gruffly, entering the bathroom and almost slamming the door shut behind him.

Kirishima blinked.

 _Such an abrupt and confident entrance...The true mark of a man!_ Kirishima thought, spirits soaring.

It was several minutes later when the door to the bathroom opened back up to a significantly cleaner and happier looking Bakugo. This by no means meant that he looked happy, but he didn't look ready to cut someone's head off anymore.

"Alright, you little shitstains, here's the deal. I'm under attack from these absolute fucking tools who named themselves after the old Roman gods for some fucking reason. I don't know why they're targeting me, but apparently they think it'll make them famous. These are the same guys who made the town the way it was. They attacked the guy who sold the ships, and now I can't get off this hunk of metal without a ship. And now, here I am." Bakugo explained, looking for the life of him like someone had just killed his dog.

"Pretty rad, dude." Kaminari said, clearly having not paid attention to anything Bakugo had just said.

"Hey, this sounds pretty manly! _With the government at our heels and the deities at our front, we must fight our way forwards to save the galaxy!_ Or something like that." Kirishima said with a deep, booming narration.

Ashido giggled at his theatrics, while Bakugo just rolled his eyes and Kaminari snorted.

"Whatever we do, we need to do it fast, right? Bakubro, how much time d'ya think we have?" Kaminari asked, throwing an arm around Bakugo.

"Get your hands off of me! And what the hell did you just call me?" Bakugo raged, forcibly removing Kaminari's arm.

"Bakubro! You know, like Bakugo, except more friendly than you are!" Kaminari explained, Bakugo's rejection of his action leaving him completely unphased.

Bakugo snorted. "Gross. Don't call me that again."

"Whatever you say, Bakubro."

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Hey, maybe we could calm down a little?" Kirishima timidly interjected, and Bakugo let out a small snort before dropping the matter.

"I'd say that I have a few days before the next one finds me, giving how these guys normally work. There's what, twelve of em? I've already taken out one, and he was a bit of a bitch. They'll be roadkill by the end of the month, assuming the Federation is as useless as ever." Bakugo grumbled, crossing his arms.

"I might as well stick with you idiots until they're gone or I get to where I need to go." Bakugo grumbled, looking annoyed.

"Wait, so you're sticking around, Bakugo?" Kirishima asked, a bright smile forming on his face.

"Don't look so happy about that. There's still the assholes that we have to deal with." Bakugo grumbled

"Well, can't we just go after them? We'd solve the problem a lot easier that way, right?" Ashido asked, a small frown on her face.

"I would, but the one that I fucked up, Venus, was fucking useless. Didn't know jack shit about their plans, and if their leader, probably Jupiter, isn't fucking stupid, then that'll keep up. Each one will probably know even less about their plans." Bakugo added, a troubled look on his face.

Kirishima nodded, understanding what Bakugo meant. "So what you're telling me is that we're gonna be on the defensive for a while."

"As much as I fucking hate to admit it, yeah." Bakugo grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Alright, that's fine by me! I'm great at that!" Kirishima proclaimed, flexing his arms.

Bakugo just rolled his eyes again.

"Alright, so what's our next step?" Ashido asked, a worried expression on her face.

"We need to get on the move. They'll find us eventually, but it's less annoying if we handle it ourselves. Less collateral damage. Plus, the earlier I can pick up a ship, the better. I don't need you dumbasses involved in this." Bakugo grumbled, looking down. Kirishima could only imagine the thoughts flying through his head.

"Ohoho, Bakugo, is that _care_ about _other people_ that I'm hearing from you?" Ashido chuckled, curling a finger under her chin with a mischievous look on her face.

"Like hell. You guys are just annoying deadweights, and the more collateral, the more interested the Federation is. I don't need them back on my ass. I just got 'em off of it, too." Bakugo grumbled. Ashido looked disappointed for a long moment, before she perked up.

"Wait, you got them off of you? Aren't we in a Federation station, though?" Ashido asked, a curious look on her face.

An annoyed look crossed Bakugo's face for a moment before it dissipated back to his usual annoyed expression.

"...I ran into Aizawa." Bakugo let out after the silence was beginning to get slightly uncomfortable.

Ashido inhaled sharply, and her pupils dilated somewhat.

"Aizawa?" Kirishima asked hesitantly, unsure of whether this was a conversation that he should be intruding upon.

"Our old homeroom teacher at U.A. What happened? What did he say?" Ashido asked, face seeming to be torn between curiosity and dread as she grit her teeth.

"He talked a lot of nonsense about being a hero. He thinks that that's still my goal." Bakugo said solemnly, looking down.

"But how did you get forgiven for what you've done?" Ashido asked, a strange look in her eyes.

Bakugo shot her a glare. "All that the bastard really wanted was some help on a fucking stupid problem that could've and should've been solved in seconds. Instead, I had to step in, and a pardon was what he offered in return." Bakugo snapped, annoyance overtaking his features again.

"But isn't that a good thing? I mean, I would kill for a pardon…" Kaminari said, trailing off.

"That's because you're a dumbass. Pardons are basically fucking useless. Sure, heroes can't punch you in the face anymore, but that doesn't stop the entire galaxy from viewing you as a villain, especially if you were as infamous as I was. It also doesn't get rid of bounties, and if you managed to land yourself in Tartarus, then bounty hunters come to you like moths to a flame." Bakugo explained, the annoyance giving way to a familiar look of anger as Bakugo crossed his arms again.

Kirishima blinked twice. Something didn't quite add up here. Beside him, Kaminari gulped, and Kirishima didn't quite blame him. There was probably already bounty hunters after them and everyone else who had escaped.

"Then why did you do it?" He asked, confused. Sure, Bakugo _could_ have just done it for the pardon, but he couldn't really see any benefit to doing it beyond that.

"What, I can't do anything out of the goodness of my heart?" Bakugo asked, tone completely flat.

The silence in the room was telling.

Ashido coughed once. "So our goal is to get rid of the villains, right?" She asked, nervously, completely shifting the subject.

"Yeah, yeah, that sounds about right." Kaminari continued quickly, sounding equally nervous.

Bakugo rolled his eyes. "Did you dumbasses even have a plan for what you were going to do after this before I got here?"

Kirishima looked to Kaminari, who looked to Ashido, who looked to Kirishima.

"Um-"

"Well-"

"You know what, I don't give a damn." Bakugo suddenly interjected, rolling his eyes as both Kirishima and Ashido started to talk at the same time.

"Let's sleep on it, yeah? There's not really much we can do right now, right?" Kaminari asked casually, leaning back from where he sat.

"Pikachu's got it right on target. Everyone in town is freaking the fuck out right now because they don't remember the last five hours or so, and the heroes that are here are searching for anyone they can find that might be connected to it." Bakugo explained, looking troubled as he agreed with someone for once.

"So, once everything settles down a bit, it'll be safer to leave?" Kirishima asked.

"It's not like we can leave even if we fucking wanted to. The station's on lockdown. It'll be lifted sometime tomorrow." Bakugo elaborated, looking peeved.

"So the only thing that we _can_ do is wait." Ashido summarized, a somewhat disappointed look on her face.

Bakugo nodded. " _This_ is why I fucking hate collateral damage. It's only useful if you can get in and out. Now, they might know that I'm on the station, or suspect it. Either way is a major pain in my ass." Bakugo groaned, an exasperated expression on his face.

"We can hide you if they ever come searching. What should we do in the meantime?' Ashido asked, completely ignoring Bakugo's problems.

The small group was quiet as they processed the question.

"We could always-"

"We're not playing Go Fish." Kaminari quickly shot down, and Ashido wailed.

"Why won't you let me have my fun?"

* * *

Looking back on it, the heroes were either fucking dumbasses or Aizawa's promise held more than he let on.

Their ragtag band of dumbasses managed to just _walk out_ of the station. Hell, Raccoon Eyes even managed to convert all of his credits to scrap before they left.

Bakugo was tempted to use the scrap to upgrade this piece of shit ship, because _goddamn_ did it need it. He had the strangest feeling that their flying chunk of scrap wasn't gonna make it to the next station, or wherever the hell they ended up next.

On the bright side, the idiots managed to install a proper weapon. Not enough power for both the ion and the burst laser, but that could be fixed.

Before they left, Bakugo had taken some time and separated the oxygen and the reactor. It had been worrying, and there were several moments where he was sure that something was going to explode. It made him uncomfortable. He didn't know everything that went into building a ship, damn it! He usually relied on drones for it.

At the end of the day, though, the ship was less likely to fall apart at any moment and they had managed to take off successfully.

Bakugo eased himself into the captain's chair, opening up the starmap. In the bridge with him were the three dumbasses.

Bakugo's eyes roamed. Which path could he take to reach his goal? Moreover, which path was Deku taking to do the same? He knew that Deku was going through Mantis territory like a fucking idiot, so how would the shitty nerd go about it?

"So...where to first?" Raccoon Eyes asked from behind him, and Bakugo grit his teeth.

"I'm trying to figure that out. There's a lot more shit that goes into this than just the beacons." Bakugo grumbled, eyes roaming across the overall map of the galaxy as well as the map of their sector. They needed to travel through seven separate sectors before they reached their goal.

"Then where are we trying to go? You said that they would just find us eventually, right?" Shitty Hair piped up, probably trying to add to the conversation in some way.

Bakugo hesitated for a moment. He debated whether or not he should actually tell them.

After a long moment, he sighed. There really wasn't any harm in it. If any of them were smart, which he doubted, they might be able to figure it out.

"Terra Ultima." He said shortly, and the stunned silence of the bridge could practically be heard for all of the questions it asked.

Terra Ultima. The center of the galaxy and the largest planet in it. Home of the primary Federation base and the city of Musutafu, spanning most of the planet. The place where U.A was founded as the first hero school, just short years after the Kestrel freed the galaxy from the 'tyranny of the rebels'. A galactic trading post of epic proportions.

In short, it was a recipe for disaster for any villain who tried to attack there, which was why Bakugo was heading there first to cut All For One off at the pass.

Looking at the most likely route that Deku could be taking and taking a logical leap to assume that All For One was going to shake the galaxy at its core, he could get there around three days before Deku, assuming everything went to plan.

"T-Terra Ultima? Why? We'll be shot down before we even get in sight of the planet!" Pikachu stuttered out, looking panicked.

"You dumbasses might have been. I actually know how to get in and out of the planet without getting caught. Done it plenty of times." Bakugo bragged, feeling his ego inflate.

"But why are we even bothering?" Shitty Hair complained, looking as distressed as Pikachu.

Bakugo huffed in annoyance.

He would really have to tell them _everything_ , wouldn't he?

Bakugo's face dropped it's usual scowl, settling instead on a mostly troubled expression.

"You're going to find out soon enough, along with the rest of the galaxy, so I might as well tell you dumbasses." Bakugo huffed, biting his bottom lip. This had been said in implied confidentiality- he didn't like to betray that.

"Do you remember the attack on Tartarus?" Bakugo asked, finally locating the best possible beacon to go to.

"Uh- yeah, what about it?" Shitty Hair asked, sounding clueless.

"They weren't attacking the station for me." Bakugo said, waiting for realization to set in.

It was a very long moment before any of them even had a shadow of a clue of what he was talking about, and it was only a small look of dread on Raccoon Eyes' face.

"Who were they there for, then?" Pikachu asked, a look of clear displeasure on his face from having to use all three of his brain cells.

"Come on, Pikachu, think! Which one of the motherfuckers could the League want to launch a full-scale attack for?" Bakugo urged, feeling anger well up in him at Pikachu's cluelessness.

"Um...Well, I don't really follow the news, but I think that they captured that one misty guy a while back...and, uh…-!" Pikachu cut himself off with a sharp inhale.

"You- you're not-!" Pikachu asked, fear in his eyes. Bakugo stared back with a level stare.

Sighing, Bakugo fired up the FTL drive.

"All For One is out of prison, and Deku is on the warpath to try and take him out." Bakugo said hollowly.

The shocked silence in the bridge spoke volumes more than anything they could have said.

"N-no way...Then- then was what All Might did for nothing?" Raccoon Eyes asked, a confused and dazed expression on her face.

"Not a chance. The bastard is weaker than when All Might fought him, but Deku still won't be able to take him out. That's why I'm going to go kill him myself. Like I said, I don't need you shits around. I can handle it." Bakugo said, making sure that his point was clear.

"Bakugo, this isn't something that you can let pride take over for! We're talking about _All For One!_ The guy who killed All Might! You were _there_ when it happened, you _saw_ how strong he was!" Shitty Hair pleaded, gesticulating wildly with a panicked look in his eyes.

"This isn't me bein' _proud_ , you dumbass! I know how strong he is _because_ I was there, and he's a piece of trash compared to me." Bakugo fired back, annoyed.

"Bakubro, this is...kinda nuts, you know? I mean, I'm not very bright, and even I can tell that going after a guy like that is suicide. We should let the heroes handle it this time, y'know? Deku will have that guy done in in no time flat." Pikachu said warily, unknowing of the effect that his words might have on Bakugo.

"Kaminari!" Raccoon Eyes quietly scolded from behind him.

"What? O-oh, shit, uh-" Pikachu stuttered. Bakugo didn't bother meeting his eyes.

He wasn't sure what he would do if he looked at the stupid look on Pikachu's face right now, and Bakugo still needed someone to man those engines.

"Everyone believed the same thing about All Might, and look where that got us." Bakugo said, voice low and threatening.

For the first time in the short time that Bakugo had known him, Pikachu held his tongue.

Everyone had relied on All Might. He was the _Symbol of Peace_ \- and when he left, that peace shattered into a million fragments for the rest of the galaxy to try and pick up.

Endeavor had gone rogue soon after All Might's death. The Mantis had left the Federation, and the Zoltans went neutral. Tensions had risen to an all-time high, and one could almost feel the rising worry of the general populace.

Crime skyrocketed. After Endeavor's sudden abandonment of the Federation and All Might's death, there was simply no one fully suited to stopping the rising crime levels. Without anyone to hold the system together, it began falling apart, and pro heroes started dropping like flies. To make matters worse, an underground Yakuza group synthesized a Quirk-erasing bullet, only to have the League of Villains steal it not days later.

And then came Deku.

To the general public, he appeared out of nowhere and began solving all of their problems, one by one. With a determined scowl on his face, he fought valiantly against a seemingly never-ending swarm of foes, day in and day out. He was their guardian angel, a sign that things might finally be okay again after so much despair.

He was their Symbol of Hope.

And nothing had pissed Bakugo off more.

Slowly at first then worryingly quickly, Deku shot to the spot of the #1 hero. The public loved him, and he was competent enough to take out every villain that stood in his way. He stole the title before reaching the age of twenty- something that was unheard of. Even All Might hadn't taken the spot until his mid-twenties.

Along with Deku came the rest of Bakugo's class. Half-and-Half, going by Cryo Flame, claimed the #2 spot, constantly warring with Deku in both popularity and combat. Half-and-Half and Deku were basically fucking even in so goddamn many of the polls, but Deku always pulled through by some small number. One time, and Bakugo remembers this vividly, Half-and-Half could have taken the #1 spot, but the bastard voted for Deku and let him keep it.

With them, Glasses took #3, going by Emergency Exit. Slowly, the top numbers were replaced by people who had attended U.A. Hell, even the purple-haired extra who had made it to the Sports Festival got a spot. He was underground, but still on the map.

Bakugo had watched it happen with a detached sort of rage.

However, that was neither here nor there. All Might was dead and gone, and the battles for the top spot were trivial.

"Just don't get in my way when I fight him, and you'll be fine." Bakugo spat out. He wasn't saying that out of the kindness of his heart; no, he couldn't have cared less about the lives of those three. But they did care, and in this case, he couldn't fight them on this.

The bridge was quiet, and Bakugo let out a small scoff. "Hah? Not gonna fight back?"

"Bakugo...Alright, your manly soul has convinced me! I'll fight alongside you!" Shitty Hair suddenly proclaimed, voice filled with optimism.

Bakugo's head swiftly swivelled to look at the red-haired idiot. "What the fuck? Didn't I just tell you to stay out of my way? You got wax in your ears?"

"If Kiri's with you, then I am, too! Plus, it's kind of romantic, wouldn't you say? The true maiden voyage of the _Ground Zero_ is a mad rush to the heart of the galaxy, piloted by four people wanted by the Federation, only to save it…" Raccoon Eyes trailed off, a dreamy look in her eyes.

Four people…?

"You two- Gah, I'm in too! It's our ship, after all, and you need us!" Pikachu said, throwing his hands in the air.

"I don't need you fuckers!" Bakugo yelled angrily.

"Who saved your life from the League and got you on a ship?" Shitty Hair asked, eyebrows raised in mock confusion.

"And who helped you recover while you were in a bad shape?" Pikachu added on, a sly look on his face as he grinned at Bakugo.

"And don't forget about the pirates! If we hadn't been there, you would've been dead meat. Done and gone! So don't go saying that you 'don't need us' just yet, mister!" Raccoon Eyes butted in, wagging her finger in front of Bakugo's face.

"You're the sword, but you don't have a shield, and that's where we come in. You can do all the fancy dodging all you like, but once you get hit, there's no one to save you." PIkachu said, throwing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes, a proud look crossing his face.

"Wouldn't that be more like armor, though?" Raccoon Eyes asked, putting a finger to the corner of her lips.

"You get what I mean!" Pikachu squawked indignantly.

Bakugo huffed, and the bridge fell silent.

"I've figured out what you three are." Bakugo said decisively, feeling a true sense of _right_ in him as he thought.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Shitty Hair asked, furrowing his brow.

"You three are like tapeworms. You're stuck with me and you give me stomach problems, but even tapeworms can be useful sometimes, so I keep you around." Bakugo said with a smirk, positively giddy at having found the perfect analogy.

The bridge was quiet for a second as each of the three tapeworms adorned a slightly disgusted expression.

"I...Is that a compliment?" Shitty Hair asked, hesitant.

"It is if you can keep being useful. I fucking hate repeating myself- don't get in my way while I fight All For One, and I won't turn you into chunks on the concrete. But...if you can be competent and be more useful than not, then I'll stick around, at least for now." Bakugo grumbled, forcing the words out.

He didn't like the idiots. They annoyed him, and caused him more trouble than they were worth. By all rights, he should have ditched them by now. But he was stuck with them, and he had a feeling that he would be stuck with them for a while, like it or not, because as it stood, they were the strongest ones around.

One by one, their eyes lit up.

"YES! We'll be like vigilantes! Now, we have a full team!" Raccoon Eyes squealed, and Bakugo found himself instantly regretting his decision.

"This is gonna be GREAT!" Shitty Hair roared, slamming a fist into his chest and activating his Quirk, and Bakugo found himself regretting his decision even more.

"Oh, uh, yay." Pikachu said, subdued.

Somehow, Pikachu's reaction helped, just a bit.

"Come on, Kaminari, put some more 'oomph' into it! You have to give it your all! Plus Ultra, you know?" Raccoon Eyes encouraged, throwing a fist into the air.

"Yaaaay." Pikachu said blandly, slightly louder. Raccoon Eyes had an imperceptible look in her eyes for a moment before she suddenly broke out into a large grin.

"That's what I like to see!" She said with a bright smile, giving Pikachu a thumbs-up.

Even Bakugo could tell that Pikachu was only putting up an act, because the idiot was barely even fucking trying to repress a smile.

Shitty Hair began laughing, which lead to Raccoon Eyes laughing, and then Pikachu began cracking up at Raccoon Eyes' laugh.

Soon, the bridge was filled with laughing idiots, and Bakugo's eye twitched.

 _This is gonna be a long fucking trip._

* * *

After a solid few hours, the _Ground Zero_ reached the first beacon- merely a traffic stop, with the beacon placed on an uninhabitable planet as a way of making intergalactic travel easier.

The beacon was mostly empty, save for one or two ships that had also just pulled out of hyperspace. The ships didn't bother talking to each other most of the time; there was a radio frequency that was standard fare for most ships that anyone could talk through, but not many bothered to meet people that they would never see again.

Bakugo hadn't bothered to hang around. The very second that the engines had been able to, he had fired up the FTL drive, and the black expanse of space had been replaced with the blue of hyperspace.

The only downside was that he couldn't work on this piece of shit while they were in hyperspace. The systems became unstable if their energy output fluctuated too much while in hyperspace.

With their course generally plotted, Bakugo could take some time to himself to plan.

Bakugo was constantly coming up with new moves to use in battle. Most of them didn't make sense, or even have too much of a practical use, but explosions could be used in such _delightfully_ creative ways.

However, all of the fancy moves in the world wouldn't help him against All For One.

Bakugo was _strong_ , and he knew it. He had been told that he was strong since he was a child, and with each passing day, he proved himself more and more worthy of the praise.

However, All For One was no pushover.

Quirks out the ass and plenty to compensate for his injuries. Hell, at least half of the damage that All Might had dealt to him had probably been negated in different creative ways. Now, it was a race against time to make sure that the bastard didn't completely change his moveset. The advantage that Bakugo had over Deku was _predictions_ \- everyone had seen the fight, but Bakugo had been in the thick of it, saw the overwhelming strength behind each blow, watched as All Might took hit after hit, stronger any explosion that Bakugo could have made at the time.

He knew exactly how dangerous the bastard was, and now, he needed to plan around that.

So, while the three idiots jabbered in excitement over their goal, sometimes biting their lips and sometimes avoiding the subject entirely, Bakugo was doing something productive.

He wasn't going to rely on any of them. They could have their uses, but relying on them would be a stupid mistake. He had learned better than that- and Deku would probably do the exact opposite of that, leading to his loss.

Deku hadn't sent anyone after the Mantis ships for a reason. Deku wasn't an idiot; in fact, he was a damn nerd. He should have _known_ better than to make a dumbass mistake like that. But he was careful, and he held back from sending anyone after a clear threat.

The only reason to do that would be because he believed that he needed everyone who was with him at the moment. He believed that the biggest threat was All For One- that everything else was just background noise, just something to push to the side until his goal was accomplished.

Deku was a damn nerd, but the stupidest one that Bakugo had ever known.

More people fighting one man lead to those very same people being in the way. All For One was tricky and experienced- he knew exactly how to use others against you.

Bakugo would never give him the chance.

He would ditch the idiots when they reached the planet; he was sure that he could slip away unnoticed. They weren't friends, and he had no obligation to allow them to help. They really were what he said- tapeworms.

And when the time was right, he would flush them out of his system.

The next three beacons were much of the same. One of them was a tourist trap, which Pikachu had gawked at and practically begged to go to, but Bakugo had ignored him and continued on. The other two were, for the most part, the same.

As it stood, a day and a half had passed since they left that space station, and Bakugo was getting a little antsy. It seemed like he wasn't the only one, either. A lot of the ride had been spent in silence, or with one or more of them playing a game.

Bakugo gave the silence another day, tops.

As it stood, the crew of the _Ground Zero_ was at an impasse.

The were at the exit beacon for the next sector. The beacon itself wasn't very special; a scientific research center was on a large asteroid nearly. Visitors were allowed to come and visit, but it didn't seem to be too popular or even high-class.

The exit beacon lead to one of two different sectors- a Rock sector and a civilian sector.

"Hey, I'm part Rock! They should be friendly with me, right?" Shitty Hair asked, activating his Quirk to prove his point.

Currently, they were trying to decide the best course of action. The Rock were tough, proud people- Bakugo had done 'business' with them before. They could take his hits like no other, and they could throw one back as well. That earned them his respect.

Unfortunately, that pride lead them to be very territorial. They would almost certainly be attacked by rogue Rock ships if they went into that sector. However, it would save them a lot of time, which was what Shitty Hair was trying to say.

"Yeah, but we can't guarantee that they'll try and communicate. Sometimes they just warp in and open fire!" Raccoon Eyes protested, crossing her arms and pouting.

"Yeah, but I really feel like we can beat them if they do! We're strong!" Shitty Hair protested again, a determined fire in his eyes.

"I prefer life, myself." Pikachu commented blandly, not looking up from his book.

"Come on, I can't be the only one! We've gone through Rock territory before, and it went well! What do you think, Bakugo?" Shitty Hair complained, looking to Bakugo for assistance.

He was met with a face of stone and the sound of a button press as Bakugo activated the FTL drive.

"Bakugo, no!" Raccoon Eyes wailed, looking at their destination: The Rock sector.

"Hey, you did agree with me! But you could've just said that instead of just doing it, y'know?" Shitty Hair mentioned slightly uncomfortably.

"We can't be taking the scenic route, you fuckers! We don't have that kind of time." Bakugo snapped, turning his attention back to the console and re-assigning power.

"But what if we get shot down! You insist on fighting every battle that we can, and the Rocks are _really_ tough!" Raccoon Eyes pointed out, exasperated.

"I know, but we don't have another option. All For One has too big of a head-start. If we start lagging behind, we'll never get there in time." Bakugo retorted angrily.

"So in this case, safety can go fuck itself. We're on a goddamned time limit here." Bakugo continued, a deep furrow in his brow.

Raccoon Eyes huffed and pouted, but didn't say anything beyond that.

An uneasy silence settled over the bridge. It took much less time to travel from sector to sector than between beacons- the exit and entrance beacons were streamlined, made to be as efficient as possible to allow for smooth travel.

Within a few short minutes, they dropped out of hyperspace, the blue being replaced by a sea of black, littered with specks of purple, yellow, green...every color imaginable.

This basin of color had been his home for almost a third of his life.

 _What a depressing thought._

Bakugo pulled up the starmap, eyes roving over it questionably.

 _Here. This route will be the fastest._

The ship's FTL drive fired up once more, and that colorful basin was replaced by blue once more. Idly, Bakugo thought to himself about how this would be most of their trip. With better engines, the time that they took could have been halved. Because of it, they had to take risks- risks like this one. Risks that would only endanger them, but were necessary in the long run.

This specific route conserved around two days. It also brought them through pirate, rock, zoltan, and slug territories- and regardless of what ship you had, the slug territories were a bitch to navigate.

But the more ships they fought, the more chances they would have to upgrade, the more weapons they could get, and the more filth they could clean from the galaxy.

So yes, Bakugo knew the risks of doing this. He knew them all too well, but in this case, he was going all in. Double or nothing was the name of this game.

No matter what he said, or thought, or rationalized, however, he couldn't shake the heavy feeling that dropped into his gut.

* * *

As it turned out, that heavy feeling in his gut was justified.

Upon successfully warping to the beacon some two hours later, the very first thing that had registered to Bakugo's eyes was a laser impacting on their shields.

"Fuck! What the hell?!" Bakugo spat, quickly grabbing the controls and veering them out of the way of another laser, one that would have impacted on the hull.

"What the-" Raccoon Eyes started to speak, choking on a bite of food as she fell off of the small chair off to the side of the bridge.

"Get into your spots and maybe I can get out of this goddamn situation!" Bakugo quickly hissed as he noticed the three idiots gawking.

"Right-uh, yeah!" Pikachu said, snapping out of the panic-induced haze.

None of them had been prepared for a fight. Bakugo had chosen this beacon over another, faster one specifically because this one was protected by the Federation.

There wasn't supposed to be a large scale battle going on.

Bakugo narrowly swerved the ship out of the way of another errant laser.

"What the hell is going on…" Bakugo muttered, throwing his communicator on.

In front of them, a small group of Rock ships, numbering in the low tens, were battling the Federation garrison on this planet, nondescript as it was. Bakugo knew of the planet- it was a scrap planet, where Rock workers operated the trash machines that had been built there. There were several planets similar to it across the galaxy- atmospheres barely sustainable as it was, and not worth much beyond the purpose that had been given to them.

Whatever was going on here wasn't their business. The ships that the Rock were piloting were thrown together, probably using scrap. It might have been an uprising from the planet below, for whatever reason they would have for doing so. The ships that the Federation garrison were piloting were a sharp contrast- simple and run-of-the-mill, but yet sleek and refined. They could probably thank the pink bitch from U.A's support department for that.

The monitor on Bakugo's right flashed red, drawing Bakugo's attention.

"We're being targeted? Shitty Hair, what flags are we flying?" Bakugo asked urgently, even as a missile was deployed from a Rock ship.

" _Last I checked, Federation! It seemed the safest!"_ Hair-for-Brains yelled back, muffled sounds of buttons being pressed in the background.

"God fucking damn it! Raccoon Eyes, shoot down that missile!" Bakugo ordered, taking a nosedive to avoid immediate death.

" _Working on it!"_ Raccoon Eyes said, right as the ship fired. Both shots went wide, with one of them impacting the ship that had originally fired the missile.

Bakugo's eyes widened as that specific ship shifted its focus onto them. Scrapped together that ship may be, it was leagues better than their pile of flaming garbage of a ship.

"Damn it! They must think we're reinforcements. We're getting the hell out of this one." Bakugo said, gritting his teeth. He could recognize when to retreat- this was one of those times.

" _Bakugo, look out!"_ Raccoon Eyes suddenly shouted, and Bakugo's eyes zeroed in on the battle in front of him, searching for an enemy.

"Raccoon Eyes, what the hell are you-"

Bakugo heard the missile impact the engine room more than saw it, and as the ship began to spiral towards the planet in a heat-fueled frenzy, Bakugo could only curse as control of the ship was wrenched from him and his fate was left to the cards.

* * *

Izuku Midoriya frowned at the report that came through.

"An uprising in a Rock territory…? That scrap planet is important, too…" Deku trailed off, curling a hand around his lips.

 _This isn't one that I can let fly to the wayside, either. If we lose this planet, there will be serious repercussions._

Deku let out a small sigh, bringing up the starmap, which had listings off all of the nearby heroes in relation to planets. The report itself had been sent by the garrison that was at the planet, not a hero, and it was fairly recent- the decision of what to do with it was his and his alone.

Deku's eyes brightened upon seeing a familiar name; Real Steel, an old friend and someone that was in class 1-B while they were in U.A. His Quirk would be perfect for the situation.

After all, sending the man with the Quirk of steel to the planet revolving around it would simply be a homefield advantage...wouldn't you say, Kacchan?

* * *

 **Alright, that's chapter six done. Kind of a slow and relatively short chapter, I know, and I apologize. Next chapter will be a quicker-paced one, and it will be featuring someone that honestly doesn't get enough love. We're going back to the action soon, but I felt like it needed a bit of a break in the action. I'll be releasing that one as soon as it's finished instead of waiting a while, so you might be able to expect it in the next few days. It's my sort of apology for how little happened in this one.**

 **This chapter took me quite a while to write. It went through two rewrites, and regardless of what I changed, I just wasn't quite happy with it, but it's a necessary chapter. This is the period where the group has to travel to reach their next goal, and my limited writing skills can't quite circumvent this.**

 **Next chapter, Kirishima learns just how far he has to go to become a hero, Kaminari makes a friend amidst chaos, Ashido learns that sometimes, words can't change a person's heart, and Bakugo is forced to make an important decision: fight or save.**


	7. Of Limits and Strength

**An Explosive Arbiter**

 **Chapter 7: Of Limits and Strength**

" _Bakugo."_

 _Bakugo lifted his head from the small, cramped bed in his equally small and cramped cell on the_ One For All _._

" _Half and Half. The fuck do you want?"_

" _To apologize."_

 _Bakugo snorted._

" _I was there when the... incident happened. I was part of the team, and yet, I failed to assist you. You left U.A before I was ready to apologize for it."_

 _There was a long pause._

" _Yeah, yeah, what the fuck ever. I don't give a damn about your apologies. I would say that it's all water under the bridge, but that bridge has already been burned to the ground."_

 _Icyhot was quiet._

" _If you're just gonna stand there and gawk, then go do it from the other side of the cameras! I don't want to look at your stupid ass face!"_

" _...Bakugo. We really...We could have used you, as a hero. You had a lot of potential."_

" _Don't give me the same goddamn speech that I've heard from Deku a thousand fucking times. If you have anything to say that_ won't _piss me off, then say it."_

 _A firm scowl set on Icyhot's face, and Bakugo rolled over in his bed, facing the wall._

" _...I've always admired you, in a way. You had a determination that I could never hope to match. Your strength was unparalleled in our class. When compared to me, whose motivation for becoming a hero only ran skin-deep...You outranked me, and that helped me learn humility."_

 _Bakugo didn't respond, but he didn't turn over, either._

" _Midoriya wasn't the only one affected by you leaving."_

 _The soft clapping of shoes on tile accompanied Todoroki to the door._

* * *

Bakugo Katsuki wiped some dirt off of his brow as he pushed out of the crashed _Ground Zero,_ pushing the old memory to the side. He didn't need the fucking past to be messing with his head _now_ , of all times.

The ship itself wasn't necessarily totalled, but it certainly wasn't looking good. The engines were just _destroyed_ , and the hull had mostly fallen apart in the crash.

Bakugo growled. "Fuckin' seeking missiles. Those things are way too fucking expensive for those ships."

Seeking missiles honed in on their targets, locked on and ruthlessly hunted them. They had extremely advanced targeting, and even the best pilots with the most elusive of ships would be hard-pressed to dodge them. They were the second most powerful missile in the galaxy- next to missiles that literally altered probability to make it more likely for them to land. Only one ship had those.

"Oi, you three shits still moving in there?" Bakugo yelled back into the ship.

Several long, extended groans were his response, followed by some mild coughing.

"Hey, Kaminari, you alright?" Bakugo heard Shitty Hair's voice ask.

"Not doing the greatest right now, man." Pikachu's voice came out, softer than Shitty Hair's, followed by a sharp inhale.

"If you can move, get out here. We don't have all day, you know!' Bakugo called back, annoyed. He cast a look over the area.

Raxus was just as described- giant piles upon giant piles of trash, mixed in with plenty of smoky, ashy atmosphere. The smell was overwhelming, and not for the first time, Bakugo found himself missing his hero outfit.

He just needed to get to Musutafu, and that outfit was good as his.

"Ow- alright, we're good." Shitty Hair said from behind him, and Bakugo cast a sharp look at him.

Pikachu was leaning heavily on Shitty Hair, his left leg matted with blood with a shard of metal protruding from it. Behind the two of them, Raccoon Eyes pushed her way out of the ship, looking as tired as the rest of them.

 _Damn it._

Pikachu was hurt, which meant that he was a liability. Bakugo needed to get this ship repaired, and a pair of hands was a pair of hands. The other two wouldn't just leave Pikachu here, either.

Bakugo carefully allowed some small explosions to ignite in his palm. When nothing happened, he let out a small sigh. The air wasn't combustible, then. Good.

"We're getting Pikachu to an outpost. Those come with their own medical stations. Shitty Hair, we're relying on the fact that you're half Rock to get us through this one. Raccoon Eyes, go check the beacon details and see if we landed anywhere close to anything. I'll keep guard out here." Bakugo quickly and succinctly gave out orders without looking at any of them.

"What do you want us two to do, Bakugo?" Shitty Hair asked from behind him.

"Get Pikachu's leg wrapped us as best as possible. Make sure to clean the wound before you do anything, got it? I don't need to be lugging around a piece of useless trash with an infected leg." Bakugo spat, feeling anger well up inside him.

It wasn't their fault, he knew, but he couldn't help but feel angry in this situation. No, this one was his fault. By all rights, he should have been more careful, more alert. He had become somewhat complacent in his time with these three idiots. All the more reason for him to leave as soon as possible. The four of them shouldn't even be on this planet right now.

And now, Bakugo was going to have to work to get them off the planet.

Scavengers would soon descend upon the spot. Different native species that hadn't quite mastered space technology, or perhaps Rocks looking to make a quick buck. It could even be humans, although they tended to stay away from planets like this one.

"Bring it on, you fucks."

* * *

Kaminari winced as Kirishima dumped him carefully onto their improvised bed. Behind him, Ashido rushed to the console, bringing up the starmap.

"You alright, man? What happened?" Kirishima fretted, hands hovering over the small piece of metal jutting out of his leg.

"Don't remove it yet! Kiri, you handle this. I can help him out!" Ashido said quickly, eyebrows knotted in frustration as she pushed off of the console and grabbed an old shirt.

Outside, Kaminari could hear faint explosions, and felt somewhat reassured in the fact that Bakugo, insane as the man was, was protecting them.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Kaminari asked, pain jolting through his leg anew as Ashido grasped the metal.

"Here, bite into this." Ashido commanded, shoving the shirt into Kaminari's mouth.

"Hey, what are you-mmph!" Kaminari complained, not able to resist Ashido's surprisingly strong arms.

Then, his leg exploded in hot, firey pain. Electricity crackled around him as his teeth slammed down.

"MMMPHHH!" Kaminari screamed, his teeth digging into the shirt without him even realizing.

"Sorry, Kaminari, it'll be over soon. I promise!" Ashido said faintly, her voice sounding like static in the background.

Kaminari merely panted in response.

Dimly, Kaminari could register the sound of the mini fridge opening.

Slowly, he opened his eyes to see Ashido holding a bottle of water over the red.

His eyes slammed shut as the wound erupted in pain once more.

The shirt was removed from his mouth as soon as he stopped biting, and without wasting any time, Ashido melted one sleeve off and quickly wrapped the wound, Kaminari wincing at every small movement.

"This is all I can do for it right now. We need to get you to somewhere with proper equipment. Kiri, how's the search coming?" Ashido asked, turning away from Kaminari with laser focus.

All he could do was watch in wonder.

Was this what made the heroes so great? Their ability to efficiently complete one task that helps the citizens the most before moving onto one that would accomplish their task? Both Kirishima and him weren't the greatest at that. They often got lost in the details, too wrapped up in one thing to focus on another.

Was that part of the reason why they didn't make it as heroes? Why his fa-

"Kaminari? You alright? You kinda spaced out there, man." Kirishima asked from where he stood at the console, Ashido hovering over his shoulder. His face was plastered with a concerned look.

Kaminari blinked, feeling the pain in his leg bring him back down to reality. "Yeah, it's just...this." He said, gesturing to his leg.

Kirishima's mouth folded into a small frown that spoke volumes, but he nodded. "Just hold on. There's a Federation base only a few miles out." As he said this, Kaminari could faintly hear some more explosions and laser fire coming from outside.

The bridge was quiet for a moment. "Do you think he's going to be alright?" Kaminari asked, looking at the door worriedly.

Kirishima just laughed. "C'mon, haven't you seen him? He'll be fine. We're gonna get you there." Kirishima reassured with a bright smile.

Kaminari wasn't quite as positive, but nodded anyways.

Slowly, over the course of a minute, the explosions outside subsided. The bridge was tense all the while- Kirishima and Ashido watching the marred entrance like hawks while Kaminari was trying his best to stay awake through the blinding pain..

Finally, after it became clear that the explosion were only slowing instead of stopping, Kirishima stood up from where he had taken a seat.

"Alright, we need to get out there. Bakugo needs our help, and I'm not gonna let a friend bleed out on my watch!" Kirishima proclaimed, clenching a fist.

"Woohoo! That's what I like to hear! Let's do it!" Ashido jumped up alongside Kirishima.

"Kaminari, wrap your arms around my neck!" Kirishima said with a confident look, moving over and crouching down in front of him, his back turned.

Kaminari blinked in confusion, barely comprehending the words, but complied.

Kirishima slowly stood up, stumbling slightly as Kaminari was gently moved off of the bed with Ashido's help. As soon as Kaminari was securely hanging on his back, Kirishima began to move.

Kirishima was only a bit taller than Kaminari. Kaminari's feet touched the back of Kirishima's shins.

This meant that every time Kirishima took a step, white-hot pain was sent flaring through the throbbing wound in Kaminari's leg.

Kaminari passed out before they were out of the ship.

* * *

Carefully stepping out of the ship, Kirishima shot a glance at the area around them. It was dirty- huge piles of trash surrounded the ship, made up of everything from plastic to metal. There was a lingering, putrid stench in the air that had Kirishima's nose wrinkling and his stomach churning. Luckily, though, the trash seemed to have slowed their fall enough to where damage to the ship was mostly directly from the missile or from entering the atmosphere.

Kirishima's eyes squinted through the haze that had settled over the area. He registered Ashido stepping out of the ship behind him in the back of his mind.

The second Ashido's feet hit the ground, an explosion burst out from somewhere above him, and before Kirishima could blink, someone dropped like a rock to the ground in front of him. Looking up, he was met with an awe-inspiring sight.

On top of a large, mostly stable pile of trash, stood Bakugo, trembling with his arms clenched and an ecstatic fury on his face. The area around him was drenched in smoke, some still billowing from his palms. A fight was evident- there were scorch marks in the trash that didn't have quite the same mark as Bakugo's explosions would leave.

Bakugo's head swivelled to meet the three of them, and his red eyes seemed to be alight in the smoke.

"What TOOK you assholes? It's not like it's hard to look up where a station is!" Bakugo complained from his perch.

"Sorry, had to get Kaminari patched up!" Kirishima replied cheerfully, unperturbed by the explosive man's shouting.

Bakugo let out a small noise of discontent. "Pikachu gonna be alright?" He asked abrasively, but surprisingly, there was a small hint of...worry, in his tone.

Kirishima blinked in surprise, looking up at the man, who seemed to grow more impatient the longer he went without a response.

"Don't just stand there and stare at me, asshole! If he's going to be useless, then fucking tell me!" Bakugo raged, and Kirishima smiled to himself. _That seems more like him_.

"Yeah, he'll probably be fine. We just need to get him to the station. You coming?" Kirishima called up playfully, already turning to walk in the direction that was given.

"I'm not fucking sticking around in his hellhole, that's for sure." Bakugo grumbled, jumping down from his perch, aided by some well-timed explosions. He quickly fell in step with Kirishima and Ashido.

"There's no more of the scavenger fucks around." Bakugo said casually, acting like he hadn't probably murdered at least ten people.

"Are you sure?" Kirishima asked, adjusting Kaminari on his back slightly.

"What, do you fucking doubt me? None of those fuckers are going to be getting back up. I've dealt with their kind of scum before. Bunch'a spineless bitches." Bakugo grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets and sporting a comically outraged face that broke a grin from Kirishima.

"So I guess that means that you've been to a lot of planets like this before, huh, Bakugo?" Ashido asked from Kirishima's left, leaning over to look at Bakugo.

Bakugo's eyes widened in momentary surprise, but his expression quickly smoothed itself out. "It's not like it's fucking easy to avoid the scum. If you don't know 'em, you can't fuck 'em up. Doesn't mean I've gotten buddy-buddy with any of the fuckers." Bakugo defended, looking slightly indignant.

Ashido snorted, hiding a laugh behind her hands. "Typical Bakugo, accidentally making friends and getting all flustered about it." She jested, poking the bear.

"Hey, fuck you! I don't fucking need friends!" Bakugo protested, jabbing a finger in Ashido's direction, accidentally poking Kirishima in the process.

"Then what do you call the three of us?" Ashido pushed, a victorious smirk on her face, and Bakugo's expression froze, although their pace was never interrupted.

It took Bakugo a long moment to answer.

"...Not fucking friends. You're tapeworms. Don't fucking forget it." He mumbled, refusing to meet either of their eyes.

Ashido hummed in acknowledgement, a knowing look on her face.

"It's alright, Bakugo! You're my friend, no matter how many times you explode!" Kirishima proclaimed earnestly, giving the explosive man an honest look of encouragement and a thumbs-up. It was met with bewilderment and mild disgust.

Bakugo didn't respond for a long while, and the conversation seemed to come to an abrupt close. Kirishima was content with that- carrying Kaminari and trying not to trip while on the haphazard path was trouble enough. It wasn't until a good ten minutes later that Bakugo finally said something back.

"How are you so...positive all the time?" He asked, a mild note of exasperation in his voice.

Kirishima blinked at him, not really understanding. "Well, it's not really that hard. There's so much sadness, and fighting, and anger in the galaxy right now. All that just didn't really sit right with me- whenever I got angry, I always did something stupid that I would regret later, and whenever I got sad, everyone else around me noticed, which made them sad, too. And I've never met a true man who goes around making his friends sad! So, I decided that it's better to look at the world with a happy perspective. Plus, I figured, if I try and be more positive around the people that this galaxy has hurt, then I could help them out! Anger only causes more anger, right? So, by being happier, I can be a hero in my own way." Kirishima explained earnestly, pulling the reasoning from his heart.

The two behind him had stopped walking, and Kirishima turned to face them, confused.

"Kiri, that's…" Ashido began, a lost expression on her face.

"That's naive. No one's going to listen to you if all you spout is sappy crap." Bakugo spat, walking past Kirishima with a hard, stony look on his face.

"The only thing the galaxy does for that kind of childish bullshit is chew it up and spit it right back at your face." Bakugo continued, his voice steadily growing harsher with his back to the pair.

 _Bakugo...What the hell hurt you this badly?_

"Come on, Bakugo, don't you think that's being a little harsh? That kind of view is really common with heroes! Heck, some of the most loved heroes in history thought that way!" Ashido reasoned, sounding exasperated.

The name that they were all thinking went unsaid.

"I'm not being harsh. Not at all." Bakugo said, refusing to face them. His voice had taken on a dangerous edge. Kirishima found himself looking warily at Ashido, trying to silently communicate to her to not do anything stupid.

"Why the hell should I be happy, put up a fake fucking facade, for a bunch of fuckers who will only talk shit about me behind my back? The ungrateful bastards who live in this galaxy are fucked, and I'm not going to waste my time for someone who doesn't deserve it." Bakugo essentially spat, shoulders tense and light explosions bursting from his palms.

"But Bakugo-" Ashido began.

Bakugo moved before Kirishima could blink. One second he was in front of Kirishima, and the next he had slammed a hand into the pile of trash with a loud explosion, cutting off Ashido instantly. She yelped, and even Kirishima jumped and instinctively hardened, dropping it when Kaminari whimpered in pain.

"I'm not talking about this any fucking more." Bakugo seethed, a wild look in his eyes and a deep-set rage in his face that sent fear coursing through Kirishima.

Ashido nodded slowly, and Bakugo extracted his arm from the wall to shove both of his hands in his pockets, stalking forward ahead of the pair.

Ashido walked just a bit closer to Kirishima, whispering to him as she talked. "Some metal got into my arm." She admitted, holding a hand over a red spot.

Kirishima blinked, worried and still a bit unsettled and disheartened from Bakugo's outburst. "Are you alright?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Acid, remember? I'm a bit more worried about Kaminari right now, though." She said flippantly, diverting his attention to the weight on his back.

Kirishima glanced at his friend. He was enough of a man to admit that carrying him was making Kirishima tired. The planet was already hotter than most, and trudging through hot metal and plastic for what felt like hours with a heavy and hot weight on his back hadn't done good things for his stamina.

Kaminari seemed to be doing worse than he had on the ship. His face was matted with a thin sheen of sweat, and every now and again, tiny sparks would float around his body. Kirishima had even heard him mutter some unintelligible words into his ears. Kirishima was pretty sure that they needed to replace Kaminari's bandages at some point as well, but they didn't bring anything with them and Kirishima was not about to strip.

"Don't just fucking lollygag! Get moving!" Bakugo called from up ahead, looking agitated.

"Right!" Kirishima called out wearily, forcing himself to move with Ashido right by his side. He hadn't quite noticed how tired he was getting before that moment.

 _Kaminari...Just hold out, man. You still have that score to settle._

The rest of the walk was filled with uncomfortable silence. Occasionally, Ashido would make a joke in an attempt to clear the silence, but it fell flat half the time and the other half, Bakugo just snapped at her. Kirishima was growing a bit too tired to hold conversation after a while, and Ashido eventually noticed.

"Kiri, you alright?" She asked, concerned.

"He's...heavy." Kirishima panted out, limbs beginning to feel a bit leaden.

"Here, let me carry him." Ashido offered, holding out a hand imploringly.

Kirishima nodded, too tired to dispute it. Crouching down, he slowly eased Kaminari off of his back, feeling his arms groan in protest. Ashido seamlessly grabbed Kaminari and moved him onto her shoulders in what Kirishima recognized as a fireman's carry.

"Come on, we don't have all day!" Bakugo snapped, looking back at them with an annoyed look. Kirishima met his eyes with an equally annoyed look.

Kirishima understood that Bakugo was in a bad mood, but he didn't need to be so aggressive with them. They were all trying to help each other out, and there was only so much verbal abuse Kirishima could take before he snapped back.

However, upon meeting Bakugo's eyes, Kirishima was surprised when annoyance wasn't the only thing that he saw.

There was a hint of worry in Bakugo's eyes. Not quite concern, but more of him asking Kirishima if he could keep moving with a look alone.

Kirishima gave a small nod, forcing himself back to his feet.

"We should be close. Just up this hill!" Ashido encouraged, jetting forwards towards the huge mound of trash.

Kirishima smiled. _Yeah, they're both giving it their all, so I should too!_

Kirishima pressed forwards, rejoining the pair as they began to work their way up the pile.

* * *

Cresting the hill was a simple matter for Bakugo. Several well-timed explosions sent him flying up the mound of trash, a wild grin on his face as he passed Shitty Hair and Raccoon Eyes, one of whom was tired and another who had to lug dead weight.

Landing lightly on top of the plastic pyramid, Bakugo watched numbly as an empty bottle of water, filled with sunflower seeds, tumbled down the hill from the top. It bounced once, twice, and a third time off of Shitty Hair's forehead, who tumbled back down the hill to the bottom.

Bakugo snorted at Shitty Hair yelled up in annoyance.

Bakugo turned his attention forwards- and froze.

The scene in front of him was a warzone.

They had found the Federation base, alright- but so had the Rock rebels. Lasers were flitting around the pristine, white base, shockingly out of place in the dull oranges and silvers. Even from here, almost a quarter mile away, Bakugo could see plenty of people taken down on both sides.

 _Isn't there supposed to be a hero here? How did the situation get this bad?_

A snarl overtook his features, and Raccoon Eyes and Shitty Hair clambered up next to him.

"Whoa...What the hell?" Shitty Hair asked breathlessly, a confused look on his face.

"They're attacking the station! We have to stop them!" Raccoon Eyes suddenly declared, a determined look on her face.

"Are you sure we should get involved? This more seems like their problem." Shitty Hair reasoned, an almost panicked look on his face.

"We don't have a goddamn choice. We can't help Dunce Face if we don't get any fucking help, and if they destroy that station, the Rocks aren't going to help us out. Pikachu won't make it off the goddamn planet if that station goes down." Bakugo cursed angrily, watching the battle with stormy eyes.

"But we can't just go charging into battle with him on one of our backs, and we can't just leave him alone out here! One of us will have to stay behind." Shitty Hair pointed out after a moment of deliberation, eyes shining with new determination.

"I'll do it." Raccoon Eyes offered simply, an easy-going look on her face.

Bakugo blinked once, and Hair for Brains stared at her, dumbfounded.

"T-that easily?" Hair for Brains sputtered, throwing his hands out with a worried expression.

"Yeah. My Quirk isn't the greatest against the Rock. It takes a while to break their shell, and, to be honest, my Quirk isn't the most compatible with either of yours. Plus, and this is nothing against you, Bakugo, but I would prefer to avoid fighting alongside you. Your explosions are loud and you don't really work well with others." Raccoon Eyes said neutrally, a content smile on her face.

"HEY! What the fuck did you say about me! I can work just fucking fine with others! Come on, Kirishima, let's go kick some ass! We're gonna roast these damn nerds!" Bakugo raged, grabbing Shitty Hair by the arm and firing off an explosion behind him, propelling the pair forwards.

 _Kirishima, huh?_ His heart sang, and Bakugo inhaled sharply.

That one had been an accident. The first time he called Shitty Hair by name was on purpose- he needed to make an impact, needed him to _understand_ exactly what stakes he would face if he wanted to be a hero. There was none of that this time, however. This time, the only thing at stake was Bakugo's pride.

He had called him by name, and it had felt more fitting than the jeering nicknames he assigned everyone else. That's not to say that he hadn't learned their names- he knew who they were. He'd talked with them and he wasn't socially dead like Deku. He could learn a name.

But to acknowledge that he knew it…?

He might be getting too attached to this group.

Bakugo growled, putting more force into his explosions and propelling himself forwards far faster than before.

Shitty Hair was tough. Stupidly so. Him being part Rock made him resistant to fire and gave him naturally harder skin, and his Quirk took that trait and amplified it to an extreme. Raccoon Eyes was quick, above anything else, and she could throw a mean punch. She was also good at leading the idiots- better than he was, anyways. He wasn't a damn people-person. Pikachu was useful, even somewhat reliable. His Quirk was strong, although he didn't have the brains or the brawn to follow through on it most of the time.

All of them would have had great potential as a hero, and Aizawa would be a damn fool for thinking otherwise. They all had their downsides- Shitty Hair had a pretty fucking obvious confidence issue, although it wasn't nearly as obvious as Deku's was. Raccoon Eyes couldn't stand up for herself against someone who was too aggressive, either verbally or physically. He wasn't sure when she picked that up- he either hadn't noticed it when she was in class with him or she got the problem later. Pikachu wasn't the smartest and he ran over his limit a lot, and if he wanted to use his more useful powers, he needed to be protected.

And yet, all of these things could have been worked around. All of them could have been fixed, with enough training. They all could have been near the top if they were in the hero course, and the fact that they hadn't even been given the chance was another reminder of how flawed the system was.

Bakugo's mouth set in a hard line.

This wasn't the time to be thinking about this. They had been spotted- and the sheer sight of Bakugo barrelling towards them, holding Shitty Hair like a battering ram, must have been _terrifying_.

"DIEEEEEE!" Bakugo roared, hurling Shitty Hair like a javelin at the nearest Rock, propelled with an explosion.

 _This is going to be_ _ **fun~**_ _._

* * *

Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu snarled, coating his arm in iron before breaking the guard of the Rock attacking and launching a flurry of punches.

Within seconds, the iron punches eroded the defenses of the Rock, and the attacker was sent flying into a wall. Tetsutetsu spat on the ground, panting.

He had been fighting for half an hour now, pinned down in the front entrance of the Federation base on the planet. The stream of Rock soldiers attempting to breach the base had seemed infinite, and with their numbers came a huge amount of tenacity. Tetsutetsu had been forced to push himself to his upper limits just to stave them off once or twice.

He was one of the last lines of defense for this base. If he fell, then so too would the base, and evacuation just wasn't in the cards with the veritable war taking place in the atmosphere.

Looking around, Tetsutetsu sighed in relief upon seeing that no one else had seen fit to try and breach the entrance. Maybe there were other heroes were holding them off? The base had soldiers as well, and a decent amount of them. Nowhere near the amount of rebels, though.

 _Reinforcements should have arrived by now...What's taking them?_

Tetsutetsu sighed, glancing around the area. There were several Rock rebels knocked out around him, and behind him lay the door to the base. He could take a five minute breather, get some rest.

These rebels were clearly just normal workers. None of them had any combat experience, although they had a shocking amount of laser guns. It was genuinely worrying how they managed to get so many in so short a time.

"That must mean...there's someone behind this." Tetsutetsu murmured, running a hand through his hair. He dimly noted how it was growing longer.

"But what kind of man would go and start a riot? Just seems stupid. It draws attention to you, and it's not like it wouldn't be obvious that they were involved. Come on, man, I'm not the brightest and even I can tell that!" Tetsutetsu complained, wishing for all the world that he didn't have to quell a civilian riot.

"Unless that's what they were after, but I don't think that that makes sense. Why would someone want to have attention on them? It ain't the League, and there ain't really a point to fighting one hero." Tetsutetsu continued musing aloud.

He heard a small _crunch_ sound come from outside, and instantly, Tetsutetsu was on his feet. Someone was coming closer.

 _I can worry about the 'why' later. For now, I need to deal with this._

The footsteps got methodically closer, and Tetsutetsu's eyes narrowed. This wasn't normal. It certainly wasn't the same as the rebels, blindly charging in without a second thought with looks of intense pride in their burning red eyes. The footsteps also weren't as heavy as before, which meant that this wasn't a Rock.

 _Finally, the person behind this._

The door separating him from the outside world opened, and a man stepped through.

He seemed fairly average- silver hair, a lean build, and few physical imperfections. He had on a casual expression which remained unchanged as his gaze swept around the room.

"I had heard that reinforcements had arrived, but I didn't know that it would be Real Steel. This day just keeps getting better and better!" The man cracked, an easy smile vertaking his features.

Tetsutetsu blinked, surprised, before settling into a more defensive battle stance. "You've got no idea who you're up against if you think that's good, you idiot!" Tetsutetsu goaded, carefully watching the features of his opponent.

"Well, we'll just see about that then, won't we?" The man asked, his smile shifting from easy and controlled into deranged. Tetsutetsu would have faltered, but he had seen that same smile too many times to be bothered by it.

"Oh, how rude of me. I'm supposed to introduce myself, aren't I? That's somewhere in the Villain Handbook somewhere, I think." The villain continued, watching with an amused expression as Tetsutetsu activated his steel.

Wings unfolded behind the man, and Tetsutetsu's eyes widened in surprise.

 _Steel_ wings.

"You can call me Mercury."

* * *

Bakugo leapt over Shitty Hair, firing a large explosion off at a Rock fighter that was charging the red-haired idiot.

The past ten minutes had been chaotic at best- laser fire came from seemingly every direction, and Bakugo had seen some close calls, shots whirring past his ear. The Federation soldiers seemed overjoyed at their arrival; the fighting had gotten a lot more intense over the past few minutes. Bakugo had traversed the minefield of a battlefield three times over, hopping around like mad, while Shitty Hair had hunkered down in one spot and took any and all of the hits.

It was impressive. Bakugo hadn't fought against him yet, and the time when they fought the League couldn't be counted. Shitty Hair just refused to go down, even more so than the normal Rocks. He was stupidly strong.

That didn't make him very fucking useful, though. Their opening move, throwing Shitty Hair like a goddamn javelin, was most of the damage that the red-haired loser had done. He could take a hit like nobody else, but when it came to range, Shitty Hair was shit out of luck.

Fortunately, that's where Bakugo came in.

"DIIIEEEE!" Bakugo screeched, grabbing Shitty Hair by the arm, firing an explosion off with a free hand, and _spinning_.

When the world became a kaleidoscope of color, Bakugo let go.

He wasn't sure where Shitty Hair went, or even if he hit anything, but _damn_ , did it feel good.

Bakugo placed two hands underneath him and fired, propelling him upwards before he had finished recovering from his dizzying attack. It turned out to be the smart decision, as a laser flew past where he had just been.

Bakugo grinned savagely, and with a new target acquired, began flying forwards at breakneck speeds.

Some people said that war was hell. Bakugo could see where they were coming from; war was an asinine thing that only served to hurt people.

But if war was hell, then Bakugo was Satan himself.

A panicked look overcame the face of the Rock, a species known for being stoic and unmoving. The grin on Bakugo's face only grew.

"DIE!" Bakugo roared, throwing his hands in front of him mid-flight and firing a large explosion that engulfed the area in smoke.

He didn't have time to think about whether or not the fucker lived. He was sure that the blast was strong enough, so he just began to fly away, directing his explosions in another direction.

Which was why he was so surprised when he found himself redirecting himself mid-flight, instincts kicking in to dodge a flying piece of metal.

Bakugo allowed himself to fall to the ground, controlling his flight with explosions.

 _So, they do have some asshole leading them. I thought that this seemed a little too organized._

The smoke cleared, and Bakugo's red eyes narrowed on a new opponent.

Standing unharmed from Bakugo's attack stood a well-built man with red hair, tousled and unkempt. He looked like he had ran all the way to this spot, although that might not have been entirely false given what this planet was like.

"This planet is teeming with waste that needs to be destroyed." The man said, a long, dramatic sigh ending his words.

Bakugo glared at him, unimpressed. "That's because it's a fucking trash planet, asshole."

"It's a metaphor." The man responded, unperturbed.

"Shitty fucking metaphor," Bakugo said under his breath. "Give me the fucking spiel already so I can kick your ass and fix my ship. I don't have all damn day." Bakugo called out, staring at the man.

"Very well, if you insist." The man said, placing his hands on the ground.

"My name is Vulcan," The villain stated, staring at Bakugo intently. Something seemed to _melt_ upwards from the ground around Vulcan's arm, which quickly spread to the rest of his body.

"And I have come to this planet to kill you."

A suit of armor, forged entirely from plastic and metal, had formed around his opponent sans helmet.

Bakugo grinned sadistically, feeling rage blossom in his stomach. His eye twitched, and he brought a hand up and fired off a few experimental explosions.

"Then why don't you fucking try it?"

* * *

The battle between Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu and Mercury had transitioned from a small, enclosed space to just outside the base.

The villain in front of him was trying to wear Tetsutetsu out. He stayed just out of range, flitting around and sending glancing blows at Tetsutetsu, making horrible screeching sounds as steel met steel over and over again.

Tetsutetsu was getting annoyed. His opponent wouldn't just fight him, damn it! He was goading him, trying to make him make a mistake. He didn't want to make this a war of attrition- he still needed to defend the base after he beat this guy up. He didn't have time for this!

Tetsutetsu roared, rushing in closer to Mercury, who let off a short laugh and flitted into the air for just long enough to avoid getting hit. Tetsutetsu's fist crashed into the ground, and an annoyed frown grew on his face.

"Aren't you supposed to be smiling while you fight me, _hero?_ That face just doesn't look good on you." Mercury goaded, an easy smile on his face that morphed into a deranged one.

"So how about I TEAR IT OFF OF YOU!" Mercury roared, rushing in towards Tetsutetsu.

Tetsutetsu smirked.

Mercury lead with a right kick, emboldened by the speed of his flight and a flap of the wings. This kick was dodged by just a hair, Tetsutetsu twisting out of the way and following up with a punch.

"Don't think that you've won just yet!" Tetsutetsu roared, smiling in satisfaction as his punch landed on Mercury's leg, sending the man flying across the ground in an uncontrolled manner, rolling gracefully to a crouching position.

Mercury's face had some scrapes on it, marring an otherwise perfect visage. He looked mildly surprised, his face contorted in an expression that betrayed more emotions than Tetsutetsu could count.

Mercury tried pulling himself to his feet, crumbling upon trying to put weight on his right leg. Tetsutetsu frowned.

 _I hadn't been trying to break it. I didn't even put that much effort into the swing...I wanted to make him realize how outclassed he was, not injure him._

Mercury's eyes met Tetsutetsu's, and in that moment, Mercury's face was completely wiped of emotion and pain. Eerily quickly, the moment of weakness was dispelled, and that same easy smile was resting upon his face.

Mercury's wings flapped out again, and he took to the skies once more. Tetsutetsu watched his movements, his guard high.

But this time, Mercury didn't attempt to launch a direct attack. Instead, he just kept going up...and up...and up.

Tetsutetsu didn't realize what he was doing until he began to dive.

 _Is he insane? At that speed, he'll destroy himself!_ Tetsutetsu thought, panicked, looking around for a spot to take cover.

He couldn't intercept that. Mercury would crumble, completely crushed, if he dive bombed into Tetsutetsu. He was just _too_ immovable in this case. He didn't want to kill this man.

 _There's nothing. This area is too flat._

Mercury was almost at the ground now. He was beginning to pull up.

 _Three seconds._

Tetsutetsu carefully looked at Mercury's wind-swept face, trying to gauge where he was going.

A look of sheer insanity had crossed the man's face. A heavy feeling settled in Tetsutetsu's stomach.

 _Two seconds._

Mercury was barrelling towards Tetsutetsu now. He placed his hands on the ground, carefully watching the zooming villain.

 _One second._

Tetsutetsu moved in a burst of speed. He activated his Quirk in his fingers and feet alone, and in one titanic motion, flung himself forwards and at Mercury.

A single moment. That was all that he had.

In one motion, he flipped over and activated his Quirk all throughout his body, hardening himself almost as much as he could.

He dropped like a rock, and Tetsutetsu felt the wind pass by his face as Mercury passed overhead.

He breathed out a breath of sheer relief, and Mercury pulled himself upwards, spiralling high in the sky before flapping his wings outwards and slowing his descent, gracefully landing.

Tetsutetsu dropped his iron and pulled himself to his feet, locking eyes with Mercury.

"Always a hero, huh? Can't even kill a villain like me. More people could get hurt because of me, you know." Mercury said, a calm and troubled look present on his face. Tetsutetsu didn't buy it for a second- almost all of the man's emotions were mere ghosts of the real things, created to inspire sympathy or fear.

"I don't need to kill you to beat you here, you idiot! You've got a broken leg, and I'm not letting you leave without a fight." Tetsutetsu proclaimed, forming a fist as he glared at the villain.

"I'm not leaving no matter what happens. You'll either kill me, or I'll kill myself fighting you." The villain stated, a completely neutral expression on his face as he spoke as though he were talking about the weather.

Tetsutetsu faltered. "So you have a death wish? Why the hell are you using me as a way of doing it?!" Tetsutetsu asked angrily, a surprised, righteous fury in his gut.

"Oh, a face as pretty as mine wouldn't want to die. But I'm being _realistic._ I know how strong you are. I know how strong Bakugo Katsuki is. And I know that I don't measure up. That's my partner's job." Mercury explained, stalking closer step by step.

"Bakugo? He's on the planet?" Tetsutetsu asked, alarm shooting through his nerves.

He couldn't afford to fight Bakugo right now. He couldn't let him go, but he wouldn't win a fight as he was.

"Oh, you didn't know? How unfortunate. I suppose I'm just stalling for time until Vulcan kills him, then." Mercury replied, a nonplussed expression crossing his face.

 _Vulcan, huh? So they're basing themselves off of the gods...That's so unoriginal! Who the hell came up with that idea?_

Then, Mercury's words fully sunk in, and Tetsutetsu barked out a laugh as the absurdity of it truly hit him.

Tetsutetsu was almost doubled over in a manly guffaw by the time Mercury got curious.

"Something funny?" He asked, an eyebrow arched.

"He he...You think that you can kill Bakugo, huh? Here's a quick news flash for ya- Bakugo's only gotten stronger since the Sports Festival eight years ago, and he beat Cryo Flame as well as me. If you think that you're going to be able to even _hurt_ him, you better be able to get through _me_ first. And I ain't gonna let _anyone_ take me down." Tetsutetsu proclaimed, a fire burning in his heart. His body solidified, steel covering his skin as a proud grin crossed his face.

And for the first time that day, anger crossed Mercury's face.

It looked like a quiet rage- not even comparable to Bakugo's. But it was a change from the easy smile or the creepy emotion shift that Mercury had gone through before.

"Don't underestimate Vulcan. He's stronger than I am." Mercury said, but the normal confidence that dotted his voice was wavering.

As if on cue, Tetsutetsu heard a distant explosion, and he smirked.

"I don't like my work being done for me, so I'll just have to beat you down here and deal with that later. Now, are you coming at me, or am I coming at you?" Tetsutetsu goaded, feeling fired up.

"I...I-" Mercury started, a panicked look crossing his face. But, just like before, all emotion was wiped within an instant.

"I don't have time to waste here. In order to get victory, I have to beat you." Mercury stated, voice hollow as he entered a more battle-ready stance, leaning heavily on his left leg.

Tetsutetsu smirked as Mercury's wings opened up once more.

Mercury came soaring towards him, and Tetsutetsu's skin became steel once more in preparation for the battle.

* * *

"DIEEEE!" Bakugo roared, firing off his Howitzer Impact on the shit-eater in front of him.

Vulcan was sent flying from the force, and Bakugo grinned a savage grin as he went through a wall of the Federation base. The structure made a strange groaning sound, but otherwise remained intact. Bakugo eyed the man-sized hole, waiting for the exact second the fucker returned.

There was movement inside, but still no sign of his opponent. Bakugo's eyes narrowed. That hadn't been enough force to kill him. The armor hadn't _withstood_ the impact- it had been destroyed, but Bakugo had still seen the makeshift armor shifting around on the man's back. He was still kicking.

There was a flurry of movement and a familiar crackle of electricity, and Bakugo's arm shot up with an explosion out of reflex, dodging out of the way. His eyes locked onto a spear made of metal, crudely formed and with electrical wire wrapped all around it, flying away due to the force of his blast. The spear fell apart after flying a certain distance, breaking into chunks of metal and wire.

Bakugo's eyes narrowed. _This bastard's Quirk is better than I realized._

Vulcan came flying out of the base, shiny white metal coiling around his body like water. He rocketed forwards, fist extended, aiming towards Bakugo's head.

Bakugo sighed.

He dropped to the ground, facing the sky with his palms on the ground. In one fluid motion, Bakugo kicked upwards, sending the villain sprawling while he did a graceful flip.

"You're fucking boring to fight. Don't you have any fucking original moves? You're just a goddamn poser. I'd just fight a robot based around Endeavor's fighting style if I wanted to fight you. At least then I could kill it without anyone getting pissy with me." Bakugo snarked with a yawn, looking at Vulcan as the man spat out a tooth, a look of disgust on his face as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Bakugo Katsuki...We underestimated you. Your power must have been increased more than we imagined." Vulcan said, a menacing look on his face as he completely ignored Bakugo's taunts. Bakugo's eyes narrowed, and he almost jumped when Shitty Hair stepped beside him.

"Bakugo, how strong is this guy?" He asked quietly, barely audible.

Bakugo snorted. "Fuckin' weaker than me, although that's not saying much. Hell, you could probably kick his ass. His Quirk has a limit, though I'm not positive on what it is." Bakugo responded, his voice a low rumble in his chest.

"Let's just take him out here, yeah? One final attack?" Shitty Hair suggested, giving Bakugo a blinding smile. Bakugo's eye twitched in irritation.

"I wouldn't be so hasty if I were you, _heroes_." Vulcan suddenly snarled, drawing Bakugo's attention back to him.

"Ah, shit, here he goes. It's so fucking annoying when they monologue." Bakugo grumbled in annoyance as Vulcan opened his mouth.

"Why do you let them do it, then?" Shitty Hair asked quietly as Vulcan began to rant, proclaiming that he would destroy the two of them.

"It's a waste of their breath, gives me a breather, and usually gives away their plans. They're dumbasses. Never met a villain who didn't like to do it." Bakugo responded, just as Vulcan seemed to realize that they weren't listening.

"Bakugo Katsuki...Do you know my Quirk?" Vulcan asked, an angry expression twisting his features.

A long, awkward silence stretched between the three of them, and Bakugo quickly realized that he actually expected an answer. "Don't ask a fucking rhetorical question and then wait for an answer, you bastard!" Bakugo yelled, his eye twitching in irritation.

"My Quirk is known as Environmental Manipulation. I can use materials around me and form them in any shape that I wish, but my control weakens the further those materials are from me. It's only through my good graces that I haven't killed you yet- I wish to have a good fight, although you are beginning to anger me." Vulcan monologued, a hateful look beginning to burn in his deep brown eyes.

Bakugo squinted at him. "Why the hell are you telling me this? You know that I can just beat the shit out of you now that I know this, right?" Bakugo asked, a sinking feeling in his gut.

Vulcan smirked, and that feeling only worsened. "I can tell you because my victory is already certain here. You will not be leaving this planet, Bakugo Katsuki." Vulcan roared murderously, a glint of madness in his eyes.

Bakugo had felt killing intent being directed his way before. Some people had even made him take a step back with how intent they were on assuring his death. The mild fear always faded within moments, though. The man in front of him didn't even come close to the likes of those who had genuinely worried him to fight.

Six years ago, he had fought someone with the type of killing intent to worry him. His name was Rappa- he had apparently killed several high-level pros, including Fatgum. The fight that he'd had after that was enough to bring fear even to him. He hadn't won, only managed to retreat. Vulcan wasn't on Rappa's level, and Bakugo could beat Rappa with general ease now.

"You're not strong enough to kill me." Bakugo stated. It wasn't arrogance- it was a fact, an observation. Vulcan simply _wasn't good enough._

"I don't need to be." Vulcan shot back instantly, a malicious look on his face.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Bakugo pressed, anger starting to well up in his gut. He hated it when these bastards didn't get to the point!

"Your precious base is now set to explode in a few minutes." Vulcan responded smugly, and Bakugo's heart stopped.

He...What? Vulcan had only been in there for a few moments. What the hell could he have done?

"When you sent me into the base, I didn't only get armor. I found the generator through my Quirk. Wonderful thing they are, reactors. Strong enough to generate enough energy for a base for months with a single fuel capsule, and strong enough to destroy that very same base with a mere few misplaced wires." Vulcan gloated, a look of pure rage and madness entering his face.

"God _fucking damn it_." Bakugo snarled, throwing his arms behind him to fire off a few explosions.

He came to an abrupt halt as Shitty Hair grabbed his arm.

"Bakugo, hold on! Think about what you're doing! You can't beat him and fix the base at the same time! You just _can't_! There's not enough time!" Shitty Hair pleaded, and Bakugo sent him a hateful look.

"Remember that I'm here, too! He said that there's only a few misplaced wires, right? I wouldn't know how to fix a reactor- hell, I don't even know how ours works! But _you_ _do_. I can fight him! He's not going anywhere while I'm here." Kirishima proclaimed, slamming his hardened fists together with a smirk.

Bakugo lowered his eyes, his hair falling over them.

Shitty Hair didn't say anything for a long moment, and Bakugo didn't respond.

"...Don't you fucking mess this up." Bakugo muttered, firing explosions off behind him and flying forwards to the hole in the base, where a Rock rebel was climbing through. With a loud roar and a rough toss, the Rock was sent sprawling out of the base.

 _Fuckin' Shitty Hair...It's not my fucking job to rescue people! I'm not a damn hero!_

 _Then why are you doing it?_ His heart sang, and Bakugo grit his teeth in annoyance.

 _Don't you fucking contradict me._

Bakugo cast a glance back out the hole, eyeing Shitty Hair. The man gave him a thumbs up, and Bakugo's eye twitched in irritation.

 _Yeah, he'll be fucking fine. I don't have time to waste here._

* * *

Kirishima grinned as Bakugo gave him the middle finger through the hole in the base.

"I have no quarrel with you. Allow me to kill Bakugo Katsuki, and I will allow you to leave this planet alive." Vulcan stated, face completely neutral and level, a stark contrast to the expression he wore a few moments before.

"No way in hell. Bakugo's my bro, and there's no way I'd let anyone hurt my friends." Kirishima stated, a fire burning in his heart at the thought.

"Hmph. Then how about this- allow me to kill him, and your yellow friend won't be killed by one of our friends." Vulcan proposed, nodding in the direction of the Rock rebels. The battle still raged around them, but both sides seemed to know to not interfere. It was either that or they were too busy shooting each other to shoot Kirishima or Vulcan.

Kirishima snorted. "I believe in Mina. No one's getting past her!" He shot back resolutely. Such a cheap tactic wouldn't work on him.

Vulcan sighed, seeming to put on a few years. "Then you leave me no choice."

Vulcan's hands slammed into the ground, and Kirishima hardened his entire body in anticipation.

It saved his life.

Seven spikes of plastic and metal arose from the ground, slamming into his hardened skin with an ungodly screeching noise. Vulcan hadn't taken his eyes off of Kirishima.

With a single burst and swipe of his arms, the front spikes were broken apart, and Kirishima took a step forward.

Vulcan smirked, and Kirishima quickly hardened his body once more, glaring at his opponent. It proved to be unnecessary, however, when the ground _rose up around his body_.

Within moments, he was standing on a pillar of rusted metal.

"What...the hell?" Kirishima breathed, looking down at his opponent, who let out a breath. A bead of sweat went down Vulcan's face.

Kirishima started when he felt something warm climbing up his leg, applying a harsh pressure. Looking down, he was shocked to see the same metal he was standing on snaking around his leg and crawling upwards.

 _He wants to crush me!_ Kirishima realized as the metal reached his knee.

Another bead of sweat went down Vulcan's face, and Kirishima came to an abrupt realization- he had to exert force to keep this up. Almost unbidden, Kirishima remembered something that Bakugo had said during idle chat while they were making their way across the galaxy.

" _Quirks are like muscles. They can only work as far as you can push them, and the more you push them, the more they can do. My Quirk was good when I got it, but it wasn't as perfect as it is now. I had to put in countless hours of work to get it to where it is now. And if you don't do the same, you'll find yourself tired and weary when it counts."_

This...Vulcan must be exerting himself farther than normal in order to trap him. Kirishima just had to get past this, and he could win! But, saying that, he was getting a bit tired himself. He had been fighting for a good while now- it was getting more and more difficult to draw breath.

Kirishima raised a hardened fist, slamming it down onto the encroaching metal. When nothing happened at first, he slammed it down again. And again. And again.

"What the hell?" Kirishima exclaimed as he noticed the metal still moving.

"You can't destroy matter as I manipulate it. I can mold it around your fist every time." Vulcan called up to him, sounding almost bored. There was a slightly forced air of calm to him.

Kirishima glowered, worry starting to creep up on him. How could he even get out of this situation? The metal had almost crawled up to the one place on his body that he couldn't harden- the most painful place!

Wait- he was hardened right now! He could use this!

It was really his only choice. It was risky. He wasn't sure exactly what degree of control Vulcan had over the environment, but he had to hope that his reaction time was lower than Kirishima's speed.

Kirishima took a deep breath, eyeing the metal. It was getting dangerously close.

 _I have to have faith. Bakugo is relying on me._

He could feel doubt and worry creep up on him. What if it all went wrong? If Vulcan had better control than Kirishima imagined, then he would lose, right here.

But if he didn't do this, then he lost anyways, and Bakugo would be trapped in a maze of wires and metal. Bakugo was strong, but against an opponent like Vulcan, who could attack from a short distance without your knowledge…

Kirishima took a breath, and he took a leap of faith.

He slammed his hands down on the side of the metal, which continued to grow, and he dropped the hardening in his legs. In a single second, he vaulted over the crushing metal, barely avoiding having his thighs being crushed by the encroaching rusted metal.

Kirishima smirked as Vulcan's eyes widened.

Pushing off of the metal, Kirishima flew from the pillar, carefully avoiding touching the metal. He crashed to the ground and rolled, being careful to avoid being in one spot for too long.

"Sneaky child!" Vulcan roared, a vein bulging out of his forehead.

Kirishima couldn't afford to get caught again. As long as Vulcan's hands were touching the ground, he could manipulate the materials around him, and Kirishima could get stuck in the same situation.

Moving in a more serpentine pattern, Kirishima pressed forward, determination blazing in his heart. Vulcan seemed just as determined as he was, though.

After three steps, twelve spikes came jutting out of the ground in front of him. Kirishima destroyed them with a roar and a punch. After seven steps, a wall made of plastic and metal rose up, shifting in a way that told him that Vulcan was manipulating it. Kirishima frowned deeply- he was sure that he would get stuck if he tried to attack it. After an extra four steps to go around the wall, he realized that Vulcan might be getting more tired than he realized.

The second he looped around, he saw Vulcan breathing laboriously, trembling somewhat. Still, though, the look of rage continued, and Kirishima felt himself waver somewhat.

Why did this man want to kill Bakugo so badly?

Kirishima shook his head, focusing back on his goal. He needed to be strong, resolute- just like his Quirk.

Three more steps and the ground rose only slightly to trip him up. He jumped over it with a roar, and Vulcan panted once, a look of worry crossing his face.

Kirishima reached Vulcan before he had a chance to form armor around himself, and with a hardened punch to the area that Bakugo's Howitzer Impact had landed and a loud cry, Vulcan was sent flying through one of the trash mounds and through the other side.

Kirishima grinned as he watched Vulcan fly, letting out a short pant as he felt the effects of how tired he was sink in. He would have taken a break, but he was still currently in the middle of a warzone.

 _I don't know if he's down. I can't risk him getting away. I told Bakugo that I would take him down, and I'm going to stick to that._

* * *

Tetsutetsu blocked another blow from Mercury, noting with a frown just how desperate his opponent was getting. Tetsutetsu had stopped using his iron when Mercury wasn't attacking with his wings- he had noticed just how frail his opponent was after he punched Tetsutetsu's iron and came away with broken fingers.

It must have been a byproduct of his Quirk. Birds required weak bones in order to fly, so it would make sense if his were weak as well.

Tetsutetsu was beginning to feel bad for his opponent, honestly- he was trying so hard, but Tetsutetsu was just _too good_.

He ducked under another blow from his opponent, catching the follow up fist. Grabbing onto the arm that had overextended, Tetsutetsu flipped his opponent, throwing him down on the ground.

"Give up." Tetsutetsu said, taking in a deep breath. He wasn't tired, but the constant holding back that he'd been forced to do was beginning to grate on his nerves.

"I can't!" His opponent yelled, rolling back to a standing position a few feet away from him.

"What could be so important that you need to kill Bakugo for? Is it money? Fame? What the hell do you want from him, anyways?" Tetsutetsu pushed, exasperated. This was beginning to annoy him.

"You could never understand the plans that our leader has!" Mercury spat blood with this proclamation, staring up at Tetsutetsu defiantly.

Tetsutetsu froze. "Your leader? So this isn't just an isolated incident. You have a group!" Tetsutetsu accused, pointing a finger at Mercury, who only laughed.

"That's right. And you won't be able to beat Jupiter. He's faced all of us at once and won. Not even Deku can stand up to him!" Mercury declared confidently, following it up with an insane laugh.

"Who the hell do you think Deku is? He's the Symbol of Hope for a reason. He's constantly getting stronger, and he hasn't been beaten by a villain so far." Tetsutetsu countered, confused.

"Jupiter is no ordinary villain! He's more heroic than any of you! He helped me learn to fend for myself, helped me gain confidence! He's helped me far more than any hero has!" Mercury spat, anger resonating in every word. It caught Tetsutetsu off-guard- it was the most passion the man had displayed so far.

"It doesn't matter how good of a person he is if he can't fight! What makes him special?" Tetsutetsu pressed, trying to get information out of his enemy.

Mercury let out a bitter laugh. "What _doesn't_ make him special? None of us even managed to scratch him. He's invincible."

Tetsutetsu frowned. 'Invincible' was such a vague term. People had referred to Deku as invincible, but that was only because they saw how strong he was and decided that no one could hurt him. No one ever thought to look at his fighting style, see if they could pick out a weakness.

"What's his Quirk?" Tetsutetsu asked softly, not really expecting an answer.

Mercury opened his mouth-

And a man came flying out of the mound of trash off to the right.

Tetsutetsu jumped, firing up his iron in preparation. He hadn't even noticed that mound before. Had their fight really moved that far?

The man bounced once on the ground and came sliding to a stop, face-down.

"VULCAN!" Mercury suddenly cried out, a look of pure concern on his face.

Within moments, Mercury was at the downed man's side, flipping him over. From his short distance away, Tetsutetsu could see that the man was still moving, struggling to get up with Mercury's help.

Tetsutetsu didn't want to approach for several reasons- he wasn't one to attack someone who was down, and he didn't know what Vulcan's Quirk was. He'd been taken down several times before because he's rushed in head first, and he didn't want to make that mistake again. Kendou had lectured him several times because of it.

"Vulcan, are you alright? Did you lose? What about the backup plan?" Mercury asked, firing question after question. Alarm bells began to ring in Tetsutetsu's head. Backup plan?

Vulcan coughed, looking at Mercury. "I haven't lost yet, but there's a hero after me. Our prospects don't look too good. Our backup might be foiled." Vulcan delivered the information quickly and succinctly, and Tetsutetsu had to hold himself back from taking them down that very second. It was a coward's tactic, and he wasn't a damn coward!

Wait...did he say that a hero was after him? That must have meant that someone other than Bakugo was on-planet! Reinforcements had arrived!

"Vulcan...You're stronger than I am. We have to win. We can't let Jupiter down." Mercury stated, placing Vulcan's hands in his.

"Mercury...You're not suggesting-" Vulcan started, being quickly cut off by Mercury.

"You're the only one who can do this. I'm not strong enough to. So, please, win." Mercury pleaded, staring imploringly at Vulcan.

Vulcan nodded after a long moment of silence, and before Tetsutetsu could even react or say anything, Mercury's back suddenly arched and he let out a long, piercing wail that had Tetsutetsu closing his eyes and covering his ears.

When he opened his eyes once again a few moments later, Mercury was lying on the ground and Vulcan was standing in a stark reversal of their positions.

Tetsutetsu could have said that everything was normal- that Vulcan simply had some energy transferral Quirk- if not for one single fact.

Steel wings had unfolded behind him- the same wings as Mercury's, which were now suspiciously absent on the younger male.

 _Can he- can he steal Quirks? Or is he like Monoma? What the hell_ is _this guy?_

There was a loud crashing noise behind Vulcan, which the fiery-haired man ignored, instead boring his eyes into Tetsutetsu. However, Tetsutetsu saw fit to ignore his newest opponent entirely for the man who had just crashed through the wall of trash.

It was a man with red hair, black jeans, and no shirt. But something about him seemed to spark familiarity within Tetsutetsu- something unexplainable. From the look on the red-head's face, it was the same situation for him. Was this the hero that was chasing Vulcan?

"Now there are two of you. But I am twice the man I was before. I feel ten years younger." Vulcan stated, bringing his hands closed in a fist with a look of hatred on his face.

"For bringing me to these heights...I shall crush both of you."

Vulcan moved, and Tetsutetsu could barely bring his arms up in time to block the quick strike. It was followed up by a strike using his new wings, which was then supplemented by a kick, which Tetsutetsu dodged.

"Don't let his hands touch the ground!" The red-haired man suddenly shouted, running up behind Vulcan.

In one fluid motion, Vulcan's fist shot out and sent Tetsutetsu sliding backwards and his foot slammed down on the ground in the direction of the red-haired man.

Spikes shot up from the ground- several, in fact, and Tetsutetsu's eyes widened as they got closer to the red-haired man. He was about to cry out when something happened to his skin.

It hardened, and the skies bounced off with a horrible grating noise, only to double back and strike once more. Each time, the man winced, but was unmoved.

Taking advantage of the situation, Tetsutetsu rushed up behind Vulcan, who broke concentration to glance Tetsutetsu's way. It was enough to stop the assault on the red-haired man, however, and that was enough for Tetsutetsu. They were both heroes, but that didn't mean that Tetsutetsu was going to let the other man take all the punishment.

Tetsutetsu's fist landed on Vulcan, who rolled with the punch and followed up with a kick to Tetsutetsu's head, which was mitigated by quickly-formed iron.

The red-haired man reached Vulcan, and in an impressive move, grabbed his head and did something that looked like a wrestling move- he slammed both of their bodies to the ground, with him hardening his own, preventing himself from taking any damage.

The red-haired man pulled himself to his feet quickly and quickly backpedalled to stand a few feet away from Tetsutetsu.

"What's this guy's Quirk?" Tetsutetsu asked shortly. He had a few guesses, but he needed to be sure.

"He can manipulate the environment around him. Makes armor, weapons- hell, he almost crushed me with it. It flows like water when he's doing it, and he doesn't have a huge range. It tires him out, although I don't know how long that lasts. It's a pretty manly Quirk- he really won the lottery on it." The red-haired man responded quickly, giving out a short and sweet explanation.

"Thanks. My name's Tetsutetsu, but call me Real Steel. What's your hero name?" Tetsutetsu asked as Vulcan pulled himself to his feet.

"Um- well, uh...Red Riot! My name's Kirishima Eijirou, but call me Red Riot!" Red Riot exclaimed joyfully, pumping a fist. Tetsutetsu nodded, just as Vulcan's feet slammed down once more.

As spikes shot towards them, Tetsutetsu readied his defenses, and he could hear Red Riot do the same next to him.

His job was a lot easier with someone that could defend themselves. Now, he could go all out.

And that meant that Vulcan would lose.

* * *

 _ **Time remaining until explosion- Six minutes.**_

Bakugo grit his teeth as he blasted another Rock with a powerful explosion. The rest seemed to be getting the hint- three of them had already turned tail and ran the way Bakugo had came. He didn't stop them.

At some point, the Rock rebels had infiltrated the base. Bakugo had seen destruction aplenty while going through this maze of a base. He had gotten sidetracked so many goddamn times because he didn't know the layout or one path was blocked by a fuckton of debris that he couldn't safely blast his way through.

He'd probably been in here about five minutes just searching for the reactor. One would think that it would be in the center of the base, or making an obnoxious whirring sound, but sometimes, the Federation just seemed to fucking hate him! He could only move so fast, goddamnit!

"DIEEEEE" Bakugo roared, blasting another Rock. His anger fumed.

He turned, looking around for some hint of where to go. There had to be _something,_ right?

His eye zeroed in on a wall. It looked like it had been damaged by a blaster shot, but there was some kind of legible map on it.

"Fucking finally." he grumbled, glancing around the map.

So the reactor was at the fucking bottom left corner of the base, in the basement. He could get there within two minutes, reasonably. There was a second floor, but he was on the ground level right now.

He didn't have any time to waste here.

Explosions propelled him as he raced down the corridor, a sense of urgency embedded in his brain. If he didn't hurry, he _would_ die. He couldn't waste time. Every second could mean the difference between his life or his death, and he wasn't fucking dying because of this dumbass.

He'd gone by more than one dumbass worker here who wasn't even injured and fucking asked for his help, like he was a fucking hero or some shit. He'd just told them to get the fuck out of his way and run when they saw a Rock.

Finally, after turning down one more hallway, he saw the sign for _Employees Only._ Fucking took him long enough to reach. Just beyond this door was a ship maintenance area with stairs leading down to the basement level, where the reactor was.

His Quirk stalled for a moment when he heard a noise. He skidded to a stop, sending an annoyed but wary glance around.

There was a hallway off to his left, leading deeper into the base. It had been taken through hell and back, though- the wall had crumbled, and it looked like a fucking bull had gone through it. A couple support beams were cutting through the ceiling, too.

There weren't any dumbasses around who were stupid enough to attack him, and the noise hadn't happened again. Growling slightly, Bakugo pressed a hand against the door once more, opening it slightly.

He heard the noise again, louder this time. There was no denying it- there was some fucking thing making noise. The last fucking thing he needed was a distraction.

And then, it happened again, and this time, it fully registered to Bakugo what the noise was.

" _Help!"_

Bakugo, for the first time in what felt like years, hesitated in what he was doing.

He didn't have time to help. He just _didn't._ He didn't know what kind of time limit he had, but something told him that it was running short.

But if he didn't, what would the repercussions be afterwards?

It was a little girl's voice. He recognized that much.

He heard her cry for help again, this time much more desperate, and with an annoyed snarl, he broke away from the door in front of him.

 _Damn it, damn it,_ _ **damn it!**_ Bakugo cursed himself as he pushed his way past a crumbled section of wall.

"Oi, brat! Keep making noise! I'm coming!" Bakugo yelled as loud as he could, waiting for some sort of feedback. After a small moment, he could hear something- crying.

He checked the structure of the building around him, exploding a small piece of drywall even as he cursed his luck. Damn hero complex. This might actually get him killed. Why the hell was he getting involved?

He moved carefully, but quickly- the ever-looming explosion was in the back of his mind at all times, but that didn't mean he could bring the fucking roof down on his head. As he moved, the crying got closer and closer.

Rounding the corner, he saw exactly where the brat was.

She was stuck where she was- the floor had crumbled to pieces in front of her, and it was a fucking miracle that the section she was standing on wasn't gone, too. On top of that, this place seemed like a fucking jungle gym of beams. Her deep brown eyes were completely welled up with tears.

He locked eyes with the brat, who instantly seemed to brighten up. Something about her entire frame just seemed to _brighten_ \- it almost fucking hurt to look at how hopeful and happy she was. Her green hair seemed to bob with how much she was vibrating.

"Don't fu- don't move, brat!" Bakugo ordered, catching himself just in time. Idly, he wondered why he was even fucking bothering to censor himself.

The beam above the brat shifted, and Bakugo's eyes widened. Instantly, his explosions were propelling him forwards, bouncing across the walls and hanging beams lithely.

The kid watched his every movement with awe, completely unaware of her incoming death.

 _Three seconds. Twenty meters._

One second passed. Bakugo's senses heightened- he needed to focus entirely on this, or else he'd never get there in time.

 _Two seconds. Twelve meters._

Bakugo snarled, pushing even more strength into his explosions. His arms were beginning to ache with how much he had exerted them recently.

 _One second. Two meters._

 _Don't you fucking die._

Bakugo's hand wrapped around the girl's waist, and the other desperately fired off a powerful explosion, just barely sending the pair away from the falling support beam, which crashed through what remained of the floor on that side. With a few more carefully times explosions, Bakugo maneuvered to safer ground.

Bakugo set the brat down, glowering. He didn't fucking want that to take that long.

"You alright, brat?" Bakugo asked, kneeling down to her height and attempting a soft voice.

The brat immediately burst into tears.

Bakugo sighed. "Well, damn, if that's how-" Bakugo started, only to be cut off completely as the little girl hugged him fiercely.

"Thank you thank you thank you! I thought I was gonna die! I was on a ship with mommy and daddy's friend and we were going to go see mommy and daddy but then we got shot at and then we landed and then-" The kid rambled into his shoulder, crying all the time while Bakugo awkwardly pat her back, feeling incredibly out of his element.

Eventually, though, it became too much. "Brat, I get it! Let go so I can stop this place from going boom-boom!" Bakugo almost yelled, annoyed.

"Like your power?" The girl asked, sniffling while _still not letting go_.

"Yes, like my fucking power, now let go!" Bakugo raged, losing control over himself as the seconds ticked down.

"Daddy said not to swear, mister." The girl chastised, _finally_ letting go.

"I don't give a damn what your fucking father said, just get the hell out of here!" Bakugo fired right back before returning the way he came, a renewed sense of urgency filling him.

If he didn't put everything he had into stopping that meltdown, they were all dead.

That distraction might have cost him his life.

 _ **Time remaining until explosion- Two minutes.**_

* * *

Kirishima blocked a hit from Vulcan's wings as Real Steel blocked his punches from the front.

Both him and Real Steel had similar Quirks. They could both harden their skin defensively, although Real Steel's changed what his skin was entirely.

They shared a similar Quirk. That gave them something of a manly bond!

Kirishima grinned ferociously, punching in a flurry in an attempt to get past Vulcan's wings. The man was easily repelling his attacks, wings moving around rapidly in both an offensive and defensive manner, even while he fought Real Steel from the front. It was beginning to worry Kirishima with how much stronger he seemed to have gotten.

Whatever Vulcan had done had made him much more powerful. Where Kirishima held the upper hand in close quarters before, Vulcan now had control with more speed and defense. It wasn't anywhere near Kirishima's or Real Steel's, but it was still more than before.

"Red Riot! Behind you!" Real Steel suddenly called, and Kirishima blinked before catching on, hardening and diving to the left, narrowly avoiding getting impaled by a spike.

He had been avoiding hardening as much as possible to save his energy, and it seemed like Real Steel knew that. He was taking the brunt of the attacks, and it stung Kirishima's pride a bit to know that someone else was doing what he prided himself on.

Unfortunately, Vulcan now knew that he was getting tired, too.

Before Kirishima could react, he was on the defensive, Vulcan switching targets to mercilessly pound on his defenses. There was a sort of sadistic glee in Vulcan's eyes, tinted with madness, that told Kirishima exactly how much he was enjoying the fight.

However, even though Vulcan had found his second wind, something still seemed off.

The more Kirishima defended, the more he saw. He saw how quickly Vulcan was attacking, but he also noted that there was a sort of pattern- a flurry of quick punches followed up by a few strong ones and occasionally a kick. But something else stood out to Kirishima- Vulcan wasn't actively using his Quirk nearly as much as before.

It could have been because there were now two people fighting him, one of them an actual hero, but it might have gone beyond that.

Kirishima grunted, his thought process interrupted as one of Vulcan's fists smashed directly into Kirishima's face hard enough to dent his armor. He was forced back a step, feeling panic begin to well up in his gut.

His armor had never been _broken_ before. How strong _was_ Vulcan? Should he swap out with Real Steel? But, wasn't it his job to take hits? He couldn't back down!

"Why are you so persistent? There is no reason to defend Bakugo Katsuki in this manner!" Vulcan bellowed with a manic look in his eye as his armor became like liquid. Real Steel's eyes narrowed behind Vulcan as he landed a solid hit.

"I'm defending him because he's my friend! He's a man that the galaxy has been brutal to, and he's still strong! As a man and one of his friends, I can't let him down!" Kirishima roared, out of breath as he barely blocked a fist.

Vulcan's armor suddenly shot forward in the form of spikes, and Kirishima's eyes widened. He quickly hardened his chest, moving his body in a pure panic to avoid as much damage as possible.

Seven spikes shot out. Kirishima dodged four of them, two of them scraped against his armor, and he was forced to grab the last one with his left hand or risk impalement.

Vulcan grinned a manic grin that spoke of just how far gone he was. " _Die._ "

Kirishima's eyes widened, and he glanced behind him. The spikes that he had dodged were looping back around.

He inhaled sharply. He couldn't dodge. He was completely surrounded by the metal that used to make up Vulcan's body armor. His hardening wouldn't hold up to a spike- just the two of them scraping against his skin left small marks.

Time seemed to slow down for Kirishima as the spikes drew closer.

He was so proud of his strength, too. Was he really this damn useless?

Kirishima slammed his eyes closed. He didn't want to see it happen.

And yet...He didn't want to die, either.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw Vulcan's smug face, leering down on him imperiously while Real Steel seemed to quadruple his efforts, hits landing without resistance against Vulcan's back. There was an equal sign of desperation in his eyes- he didn't want to let Kirishima die.

Almost unbidden, a mental image of his friends came to mind. Mina was making fun of him for something stupid while Kaminari laughed. Bakugo was sitting in the captain's chair with his feet up and an incredibly peaceful expression on his face, taking a nap. He didn't even remember what the problem was, but he remembers exaggerating, making a big deal of it.

He wanted to have those moments again, moments where he could have simple fun around his friends. Around those people that had slowly begun to take an irreplaceable place in his heart.

He couldn't die here. No chance in hell!

Kirishima gripped the spike that he still held in his hands and _pulled._

The piece of metal, still jutting out from Vulcan's armor, pulled the man himself forward from the titanic force. Kirishima's muscles screamed as he heaved his opponent towards him in one last-ditch effort.

Kirishima's fist slammed into Vulcan's face, sending him flying away from Kirishima. He felt something cold press into his back- and stop.

He let out a long, shaky breath, quickly ducking away from the metal that threatened to end his life. Real Steel looked equally shaken, giving him a concerned look.

"You alright?" Real Steel asked, a troubled crease to his brow.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Yeah." Kirishima panted, resting his hands on his knee. He couldn't quite believe how close to death he had gotten.

A short distance away, Vulcan pulled himself to his feet, wiping his mouth. From where he stood, Kirishima could see that his hand came away red.

"Let me take it this time. You've taken enough of the burden so far. I'm no hero if I just let a new friend take all of my troubles!" Real Steel roared, slamming his fists together. Kirishima was in no place to argue. He wasn't sure how much longer he could fight such a protracted battle. The only positive was that Vulcan was having the same troubles.

He was glad to have such a manly hero on his side.

Sweat was beginning to drip down Vulcan's face, mixing in with dirt and blood from several sustained attacks. He was panting, although not nearly as heavily as Kirishima. Vulcan's fiery hair had gotten a lot more messy.

"You brats...I'll kill you all!" Vulcan roared, bringing himself to his feet and bringing up several spear from the ground, which floated in the air ominously.

Kirishima sighed, bringing himself back into a combat stance. Real Steel did the same next to him.

"Bring it!" The pair roared at the same time, as the floating spears began to descend upon them.

* * *

 _ **Time until explosion- Twenty-five seconds.**_

Bakugo roared as he slammed the door to the reactor room open. Just from a single glance, he could see the danger there was- the reactor looked more ready to have a meltdown than Deku did before the U.A entrance exam.

He couldn't have much time left. He needed to figure out the problem, and he needed to figure it out two minutes ago. He wasn't even sure that undoing the damage would fix it at this rate.

Bakugo's eyes shot around the room, searching desperately for some way of fixing this. He wasn't going to fucking die because of this bullshit.

Bakugo's eyes zeroed in on a spot of red, and his eyes narrowed. _There. The emergency shutdown button._

" _Reactor meltdown imminent. All personnel evacuate."_ A robotic voice droned, and Bakugo rolled his eyes. Whatever the hell that asshole had done had disabled the alarm for the rest of the building, so Bakugo was the only one who knew that they might fucking die.

Bakugo shoved a piece of nearby debris into his pocket, launching himself upwards with his explosion. He needed to time this just right, or else he would fuck it up. The button was in an office overlooking the reactor- probably the fucking chief engineer, or whoever the fuck they assigned there. There was probably another button on the bottom somewhere, but Bakugo did not have enough fucking time to find that.

Bakugo's flight brought him up to the level of the room, protected by the glass. One explosion in front of him broke the glass, and another behind him kept him from flying away. One quick glance down at the reactor told him that he was almost out of time. A few seconds away, at most.

Bakugo's hands grasped the debris in his pocket, and a ferocious snarl overtook his features. "DIEEEEE!" Bakugo roared, launching the small chunk of rock like a missile.

The room went pitch-black.

Bakugo sighed, firing explosions as he fell to keep himself from having a harsh landing.

That had been too close. _Far_ too close. He fucking hated leaving things up to chance like that.

The only light in the room came from his explosions, small fireworks in a sea of black. He landed softly, bringing his hand up to waist level and letting out small explosions to make sure he didn't fall on his ass.

Now...Without the distractions, he could go back and kick Vulcan's ass.

Bakugo grinned savagely. It would be fun to kick that asshole's teeth in.

* * *

Tetsutetsu growled, jumping backwards from where he stood to narrowly avoid being crushed by a fist of metal, not for the first time that day.

Vulcan was annoyingly persistent. Tetsutetsu had fought plenty of villains, and most of them went down with a few well-placed punches after they realized that they couldn't hurt him. Vulcan, though, was perfectly in his element- surrounded by plenty of natural materials and with a quick formation time on anything he wanted to make. For defensive fighters like Tetsutetsu and Red Riot, he was the worst type of enemy. He controlled the flow of the fight, and it was frustratingly difficult to change that.

Vulcan himself had adopted a more defensive strategy- he was relying more on his Quirk and less on close combat. Sweat was starting to pour down Vulcan's face as well, mixing in with the blood, dirt, and whatever the hell else was on there. It made him look a lot uglier than he did when he started fighting the pair.

"FIGHT ME!" Tetsutetsu roared, punching a thrown spear to pieces. Red Riot and him had been slowly working their way forwards, but Vulcan was adamant about blocking them. Vulcan's new wings had also been suspiciously still.

Vulcan grimaced and sent another three spears his way.

Tetsutetsu snarled, pressing forwards and letting the spears skid off of his armor. He needed to know something- something that might mean victory for the pair. And, although Tetsutetsu would never admit it, he was starting to get tired, and he knew that Red Riot was, too.

Tetsutetsu dodged a fourth spear, Red Riot just a few feet off to his left. The other man's presence made him feel somewhat more confident. Vulcan's face clenched in concentration, growing slightly red. Tetsutetsu glanced around him- no immediate change in the ground, or around Vulcan.

It was risky, he knew- but he had to know the degree of control that Vulcan had, so Tetsutetsu pressed on instead of backing off. He wasn't a hero who shied away from danger, he was one who fought it head-on, one who searched for experience with every action! Skill was what allowed a hero to fight effectively- experience made them _dangerous_.

Tetsutetsu had both in spades, and although it was clear that Red Riot wasn't quite as strong in either of those areas, he had a strong, reliable Quirk with the knowledge of how to use it and plenty of tenacity to back it up.

Which might have been why he didn't bother to worry about Red Riot as he raced forward, fully intent on watching his own back and making sure he didn't get crept up on by any spikes or spears. Vulcan had good control, and could turn the tide of battle with ease in that manner. Tetsutetsu couldn't let him.

He was only a few meters away when Vulcan's expression levelled out from pained to triumphant.

"Not so fast, Real Steel. You might wish to check on your friend." Vulcan suddenly gloated, a victorious expression on his face.

Tetsutetsu ground to a halt, quickly noticing that Red Riot wasn't behind him anymore. His head snapped behind him, muscles taut in anticipation.

Red Riot had gotten trapped in metal, his entire body hardened as the writing mass of shifting iron melded itself around his body in a makeshift sarcophagus. One of his hands was slapped over his mouth while the other struggled feebly to keep the metal from advancing.

One look into his eyes told Tetsutetsu that Red Riot was exhausted- his eyes were drooping when they weren't fluttering shut as his body took long, shuddering gasps of what limited air was available.

 _That's his limitation._ Tetsutetsu suddenly realized, hand curling into a fist in outrage. _Using his Quirk makes it harder for him to breathe._

"I think that's solid enough." Vulcan mused quietly, lifting his hands from the ground and wiping his forehead. Vulcan's eyes narrowed in determination while Tetsutetsu's narrowed in rage.

"Can you both rescue and fight at the same time, _hero_?" Vulcan taunted, raising a fist. Tetsutetsu cast a look at Red Riot- the man was clawing at the metal and plastic meld that was holding him in place, trying but unable to free himself. He had dropped his hardening as well.

Tetsutetsu looked back at Vulcan- and was forced to raise his arm and deflect a blow.

"Focus now, _hero!_ You can't take your eyes off of your opponent!" Vulcan roared, delivering a quick and devastating hit to Tetsutetsu's arms. He was forced to take a step back because of the blow- and then another, and another. Slowly, Vulcan gained ground, and Tetsutetsu felt weariness well up in his gut.

He couldn't focus on Vulcan. He had to get Red Riot out. He had no other option as a hero; regardless of what he did, he couldn't let anyone die. A hero's job was to both protect the lives of those they protected and to ensure that they could live safe and happy lives.

Tetsutetsu snarled as the man landed another kick, this one backed up with a flourish of the wings. Steel danced against steel, and sparks flew as the pace of the fight increased. Tetsutetsu felt himself backing up, step by step until his feet pressed against something solid. Glancing back, Tetsutetsu found himself staring into the eyes of Red Riot.

The _determined_ eyes of Red Riot.

The hero behind him wasn't scared, or worried, or even uncertain. His eyes were hard, and not just because of his Quirk. It was the sort of strength of will you would see in the best of heroes. Without a word, Red Riot seemed to be talking to him.

 _You gotta win. Don't let me get in your way._

Tetsutetsu grinned ferociously, and nodded. And when Vulcan reared back for another strike, bellowing all the while, Tetsutetsu dodged and watched with a smug satisfaction as Vulcan's fist slammed into the metal surrounding Red Riot, even as pain crossed the hero's face.

Tetsutetsu latched onto Vulcan's arm, and while keeping a solid grasp on the arm, his leg shot out to trip up Vulcan's left leg. As the man stumbled, struggling to keep balance, Tetsutetsu used the arm that he was grasping as leverage and hurled Vulcan for the nth time.

Tetsutetsu chuckled. It was always fun to do that.

Vulcan recovered a lot more slowly than he had the last couple times. He took his time in getting to his feet, slowly rising, and Tetsutetsu used the time to have a quick snack.

"You...Hero. You are a nuisance- what are you doing?" Vulcan suddenly cut himself off, voice radiating bewilderment. Tetsutetsu paused in his eating, mouth closed awkwardly around some of the metal holding Red Riot in place.

With a loud _crunch_ , the metal gave way, and Tetsutetsu chewed for a long moment before swallowing, feeling a bit of his energy return to him as Red Riot inhaled deeply, hands finally free to rip the metal around his mouth away.

"It ain't fair that you're the only one who can get a boost mid-battle, wouldn't ya say? So I'm grabbing a quick snack." Tetsutetsu explained. Really, was there any reason that he _shouldn't_ do this?

"You- STOP THAT!" Vulcan roared, anger radiating off of his figure as Tetsutetsu took another bite of metal, specifically the piece that Red Riot had torn off. The hero in question was giving him a weird look, but he wasn't questioning it.

 _This...is some of the worst iron I've eaten in a while._

The texture was awful, the rust didn't add it's usual crunchiness, and there was something strange about the metal that left an awful aftertaste in his mouth. It might have been because of all the plastic that it was sitting in, all the time.

Tetsutetsu swallowed the piece of metal languidly, ensuring that he ate as loudly as possible. He forced a smile on his face.

It seemed to have the intended effect. Vulcan's face twisted in rage, even more so than before. Tetsutetsu smirked to himself. Now was the time for this battle to end.

It was on all of their faces- they were tired. This battle had been a long and protracted one between two heroes who had to withstand a relentless assault for a long period of time and a villain who wasn't used to said assault failing to destroy his opponents. It _had_ to end soon, or else someone was losing the war of attrition, and Tetsutetsu didn't want it to be them. He was goading Vulcan- he needed the man to waste as much of his energy as possible. Tetsutetsu would also have to defend against that output, but he wasn't worried about that.

There was nothing that Vulcan could throw at him right now that could break his armor.

And that was a fact.

Tetsutetsu slammed his fists together and raced forwards, and the battle began anew.

* * *

Bakugo snarled as he pushed his explosions faster, flying down the dimly lit hallway. Light from outside was filtering through the hauntingly empty and quiet halls, signs of destruction in all of them.

The backup generator would be online soon, hopefully. The Rocks seemed to have already cleared out, along with the workers. He hadn't seen very many bodies, but there wasn't much that he could do about the ones that he _had_ seen.

It was creepy, Bakugo noted in the back of his mind, just how fucking quiet it had gotten. He heard the occasional laser fire from outside and he had his explosions, but that was all of it. All of the fucking peasants who worked here had actually listened to his goddamn advice, it seemed.

Bakugo fired an explosion to his left, sending him flying down another hallway, safely above some of the fallen wreckage. Bakugo grit his teeth- this place better still have a damn medical room, or so help him-!

Movement flickered in the corner of his eye.

Bakugo's arm swung out in an automatic response, already firing up an explosion from several years of trained instincts, when he locked eyes with who was attacking him.

Bakugo's explosion stalled, his eyes widening. Quickly, he fired another explosion away from the person, forcing him backwards and away even as he cut as much power as possible from his explosion. He hit the wall with a harsh _thump_ , feeling his back protest the action.

Bakugo landed face-down, exasperation and annoyance building up in him. He raised his head, staring at the person while giving a long-suffering sigh.

"Brat, what the hell did I tell you? Why the hell are you still in the station?" Bakugo asked, exasperated.

The same little girl from before looked at him, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. Bakugo cringed- he really didn't want to deal with crying brats right now.

"Well, first, I tried to go, but then there was this big metal thing, and then it got all dark and I got scared, and then I tried to hide and some people ran past me, and I tried talking to them but they kept running, and-" The brat rambled, unable to fully keep the tears from spilling. Bakugo let out a long groan.

"Kid, I get it. Just get out of here." Bakugo groaned, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

The brat blinked once, eyes still red and puffy. "But I'm scared." She said in a small voice, worry emanating off of her.

Bakugo put his head in his hands. Of course she was scared. Of course she fucking was.

"Well, what do you want me to do about it, kid? I'm not your fucking babysitter." Bakugo mumbled the last part, which the brat either didn't hear or chose to ignore.

"Will you...carry me?" She asked shyly.

Bakugo's eye twitched.

"My mommy and daddy always carry me when I get scared, and you're a cool hero like mommy and daddy. Not as cool as they are, though…" She trailed off, looking miserable.

Bakugo chose to ignore the fact that he was called a hero. "I'm not one of your parents, kid. Go find someone else." He sighed, pulling himself to his feet and beginning to walk.

"Wait, don't go!" The girl yelled fearfully, running over much quicker than he thought someone her size could and grabbing onto his pant leg.

"Kid, let go." Bakugo grumbled, continuing to walk and dragging her along with him.

"No! I can't!" The girl yelled back defiantly, clinging to his leg even harder. Bakugo toyed with the idea of just kicking her off.

"Please, I can't! I just want to go home! I want to find my mommy and daddy!"The girl continued, full-on bawling at this point with desperation clear in her voice.

Bakugo paused.

The girl didn't stop crying, but something that she had said earlier suddenly fully registered with him.

She didn't know how to navigate the station well. She had gotten separated from her parents. She said that she wanted to go home.

Her parents were heroes.

Bakugo closed his eyes. He could at least give her this before she found out, or maybe she already knew. This girl was still young. The galaxy could use less bitter assholes in it, so just this one time, he would help.

Bakugo leaned down, removing the girl from his leg with ease. The crying begun anew. She probably thought that he was going to leave her.

With a long sigh. Bakugo settled her on his shoulders, and the crying came to a shuddering halt for one long, blissful moment. Bakugo could revel in the quiet that he had found eerie just moments before. He finally had a break from the massive headache that this child was.

"Thank you thank you thank you-" The girl began blubbering, and Bakugo let out another sigh.

"Yeah, yeah, just don't fucking fall. And don't fuck with my hair, either!" Bakugo snapped, feeling a harsh tugging feeling on his spiky hair.

"Sorry!" She quickly apologized, letting go of his hair.

Bakugo let out a small noise, feeling a deep resignation settle in him.

Vulcan was going to fucking wait, if Shitty Hair hadn't kicked his shit in yet. Bakugo didn't doubt it. The villain fought like Endeavor- entirely aggressive, except he was a lot shittier at fighting and wasn't threatening at all. At least, not to Bakugo. If Shitty Hair hadn't won by the time Bakugo got out there, he was going to be royally pissed.

* * *

Tetsutetsu grunted as a kick landed on his cheek, throwing him off balance. He retaliated with a kick of his own, hearing a satisfying crunch as the blow landed and he was on both feet again.

Tetsutetsu grimaced- his iron was growing weaker. He hadn't planned on fighting such a long battle today. He had some tricks up his sleeve if Vulcan refused to go all out, but he would prefer not to use them. They hurt _him_ too.

Tetsutetsu jumped away from a wave of spears, which embedded themselves in the ground and fell apart. Loose metal had started to fall around the battlefield like this; he had almost tripped a couple of times.

Vulcan was breathing laboriously, his eyes glazed over slightly. It was getting harder for the two of them to continue.

Tetsutetsu let off a ferocious grin. "Come on! Are you going to let your friend give up his Quirk for nothing? Give me your all, or else you'll have no hope of fighting Bakugo! I'll beat you down right here and now if you don't!" Tetsutetsu roared, slamming his fists together.

So he said, but he wasn't sure if Vulcan could even muster any full attack right now. He'd worried about this becoming a battle of attrition, but the villain in front of him hardly seemed to be on his feet anymore.

"You want...my all?" Vulcan panted, a hateful look, tinged with defiance, in his eyes.

"You got wax in your ears? You wouldn't even have beaten Red Riot if not for your friend's Quirk, so show me some spine for his sake!" Tetsutetsu goaded, hopping from foot to foot and beckoning with a hand.

"Don't tell me that you think that you're even gonna walk away from this station if you don't give me everything that you have! Because at this rate, I'm gonna knock you into the ground! I have your number now, pal! You can't use both of those Quirks at the same time, can ya? Ya can't kill me with either of 'em!" Tetsutetsu boasted, slamming a fist into his chest.

Vulcan's eyes slowly closed, and opened once more.

And then, with a loud roar, his hands slammed down onto the ground.

Slowly, with an almost mesmerizing air, the metal that had been so casually tossed around all battle rose from the ground, quickly whirling around and shedding more and more metal. In no time at all, Tetsutetsu could make out a distinct shape.

Two large metal spirals had rose from the ground, each one about twice as long as Tetsutetsu was tall. It didn't resemble anything else that Vulcan had created; these spirals were refined, pristine, and imposing.

"Hero...you asked for my all. So I shall use the one creation that can pierce any armor!" Vulcan roared, any semblance of sanity gone from his voice.

The spirals began spinning, and Tetsutetsu finally understood what he was doing.

"It's a drill! You can't take that head on, it'll tear right through you!" Red Riot called from where he was still trying to free himself from his metal prison.

"If you run, it will hit your friend, _hero!_ Now DIE!" Vulcan bellowed, and the drills reared back for one short moment.

Tetsutetsu crossed his arms in front of him.

 _Red Riot's right- I can't take that head on. Not with what I've shown them so far. But I don't have any other choice. I need to take this until I can't any more or Vulcan stops, or else Red Riot will die._

 _So, I need to go above and beyond. I need to show Vulcan the stonewall of class B, the defense that is my pride and soul!_

"It's over." Vulcan stated, and the drills flew forward.

Both drills impacted on Tetsutetsu's steel- and paused, a grinding sound filling the air as Tetsutetsu's thoughts became laser-focused.

Vulcan made a strange noise of discontent, and the drills increased in intensity, bearing down on Tetsutetsu's steel with a strength that normally would have broken him.

"How...how are you not dead! Your steel shouldn't be able to withstand this!" Vulcan bellowed, rage in his voice.

Tetsutetsu smirked, feeling the strength of the drills pressing down upon him in every moment.

"You can't break me...You ain't strong enough!" Tetsutetsu proclaimed, closing his eyes to protect them from stray sparks.

"You can't break me because I have people that I need to protect! I have people who are waiting for me back home, friends who want to see my face again! You'll never break my steel because I need to protect them, even as they protect me!"

"I'm the unbreakable wall from U.A- the hero with the hardest defenses! Even now, every time that you break my steel, it reforms, coming back tougher than tungsten, and then coming back harder still! No drill can break past the strength that comes from _my pride!_ " Tetsutetsu bellowed, opening his eyes to glare at Vulcan with laser-sharp strength.

"Try all you want, but right now, because of those around me that have pushed me to become a better man, for those that believe in me, _rely_ on me, I'm the strongest foe that you will ever face!"

" _THIS_ is the peak of my power, my unbreakable will! This is _**Real Steel: Ironclad!**_ " Tetsutetsu roared with pure determination etched into his heart.

Vulcan had a look of boiling anger on his face. "You insolent fool! No armor can last forever, especially not one as weak as yours!"

Tetsutetsu grinned. "Then let's test that! Which will fall first, your drills or my steel?" He goaded, a wild feeling soaring through his body.

At the start of battle, he could have maintained his Ironclad mode for five minutes before he began to get light iron fatigue. Right now, he probably had forty-five seconds before he had to start using the iron in his blood to maintain his Quirk, which would only last so long.

But from the look on Vulcan's face, it might get pushed to that limit. He was already weak enough as it is. If he ran out of time, the steel in his body would be completely spent, and he would be out of commission.

 _Push it to the limit, Tetsutetsu. Red Riot is counting on you._

 _You can't let anyone else die here._

* * *

Kirishima slammed his fists into the metal twisted around his body, tearing off even more of the annoying material.

He had just heard the manliest speech of his _life_ , and yet Kirishima was _stuck_. He couldn't do anything to help. Right now, he was a burden, and he _still_ hadn't caught his breath yet! His arms felt like lead weights.

The droning sound continued, and Kirishima struggled even harder to free himself. He couldn't just let Real Steel take all of that burden! The man had boasted a lot earlier, but even Kirishima could see how he was trying to use his Quirk as little as possible. His back was completely unprotected. Whatever the downside of his Quirk was, it was hitting him hard.

 _Come on, you stupid piece of junk, just move!_ Kirishima felt like screaming.

Vulcan was persistent. The drills hadn't stopped drilling into Real Steel, even as Kirishima struggled to break free. As long as he could get clear, he could hit the guy while he wasn't looking! Sure, it wasn't manly, but neither was dying!

Kirishima felt something budge near his feet, and he looked down in surprise. The bottom of the metal pillar holding him was beginning to fold.

Hope flared into him one more time. Kirishima began repeatedly punching the metal, hoping, praying for some way out, some way for him to stop dragging Real Steel down. And with enough hits, that chance was provided. The metal caved, giving Kirishima just enough room to move.

"Alright!" Kirishima whooped, carefully lifting himself above his metal encasement. The edges chafed against his sides mildly, and he let out a small grunt. Kirishima's feet cleared the metal, and he landed on the ground, finally free to rejoin the fight.

"Real Steel, I'm-" Kirishima began to cry out, looking at his newfound friend.

An audible _crack_ rang through the area, and Kirishima froze, dread creeping up on him like ice.

For several long, haunting moments, nothing happened- the drills continued spinning, and Real Steel remained in place.

And then, another _crack_ resonated through the area, and another, and another, and like a domino effect, they continued. Kirishima was almost frozen in place, not wanting to move but feeling as though he needed to.

With one final _boom_ , the two drills holding Real Steel in place splintered into a thousand pieces.

Kirishima covered his face, blocking random shards of metal from hitting him. Real Steel was likely equally as protected, and Kirishima could see Vulcan sloppily throw an arm up to shield his eyes.

The dust settled, and Kirishima saw Vulcan almost completely on the ground. He was held up by a single hand, and Kirishima could see the sweat drip down his face from where he stood.

Real Steel wasn't doing quite as well. After a long moment where he stood completely immobile, he fell backwards, feet giving out on him. Kirishima raced forward, barely catching him before his head bounced on the hard metal.

"Is he... Did I win?" Real Steel asked quietly, face pale. He had withstood that assault for over a minute. He deserved some rest.

Kirishima was quiet for a long moment. He wasn't sure if he could harden very much anymore, even if he wanted to. His body protested his every movement. Vulcan was likewise not making any moves, but his body drew long shuddering gasps.

"Not yet. But I can take care of him. You're a real man, through and through. I won't let you die. Rest." Kirishima said softly, eyes trained on Vulcan.

Tetsutetsu didn't respond with anything but a head nod, the movement felt against Kirishima's abs.

Vulcan, after a long moment, placed another hand on the ground. With tremulous effort, he pulled himself up, placing one shaky foot on the ground, and then the other.

Vulcan's arm was trailing blood, metal sticking out of it in all places. His red hair was completely disheveled and dripping sweat. His eyes were hazy and unfocused. Most damning of all was the fact that the wings that he had stolen from his friend were completely gone.

And yet, he still rose.

 _What amazing tenacity. Why didn't he become a hero?_

"Hero...I...must kill you." Vulcan spat, some sort of focus returning to his eyes.

Kirishima wanted to let out a long sigh. Instead, he just gave him a weary look. "We've fought long enough. Face it- you've lost. You were beaten by us." Kirishima said quietly.

This would make for three of the celestial villains that they had taken down. A fourth of the way there.

"No. I can't accept this. You have to die. Bakugo Katsuki has to die. You all have to die." Vulcan spouted, stumbling on his feet.

Kirishima did sigh, this time. "There's no point in fighting anymore. If you keep it up, I'll stop you myself." Kirishima proclaimed, narrowing his eyes and carefully laying Real Steel on the ground, rising to his feet.

Vulcan said nothing. Ungracefully, he fell to his knees, barely managing to stay upright. His head sunk, staring at the ground below him.

Vulcan's hands rose into the air, and Kirishima paused. Was he surrendering?

"I'll kill you...One last hit. That's all I need. Then, I'll kill Bakugo Katsuki. And then, Jupiter will kill me, and we will control the galaxy." Vulcan rambled, hands still in the air.

 _Geez, this guy is even more messed up in the head right now than I thought. How does that logic even make sense?_

"One more spear. I'll kill Real Steel. I'll kill Red Riot." Vulcan chanted, and Kirishima raised his arms, preparing to defend himself.

Vulcan's hands moved downwards, and Kirishima began searching for the direction that the spear was coming from.

But it never came.

Something white shot past both sides of Kirishima, startling him. Before Kirishima could even blink and before Vulcan's hands could touch the ground, they were pressed up against his body, completely wrapped without hope of escape.

Kirishima's breath caught in his throat. Vulcan was restrained. He wasn't a threat anymore. They had _won_. He felt like whooping for joy.

But instead of doing any of that, he turned in the direction the white thing had came from.

Not even ten meters away stood a lanky man with dark hair with spiky ends and strange looking elbow. His arm was folded back, and he waved to Kirishima with a big smile on his face. But he wasn't who Kirishima was worried about.

Standing next to him was Ashido, who was supporting Kaminari, who gave him a thumbs up.

"You guys...Why are you here? Kaminari, are you alright?" Kirishima asked, barely managing to keep his voice steady. Ashido and Kaminari slowly worked their way over to him, the lanky man slowly keeping pace.

"I got worried when you were down there for a while. I saw that guy over there," Ashido nodded to Vulcan, "attack you guys. I would have come down and helped, but I didn't want to leave Kaminari." Ashido explained lightly, adjusting her grip around Kaminari's shoulders.

"What about him?" Kirishima asked, looking at the unfamiliar man.

"Hey, I've got a name, you know!" The man complained good-naturedly.

Kaminari let off a weak grin. "That was me. I woke up just a bit ago, saw how things were going. So I sent out a signal with my Quirk, and this guy answered. Good thing I did." Kaminari said in a strained voice, looking over the mangled remnants of the battlefield.

"So who are you?" Kirishima asked, looking at the man, who gave off a broad, toothy smile.

"Name's Sero Hanta. Call me Sero. Or Hanta. But call me Sero. I'm an up-and-coming bounty hunter." Sero bragged, a look of pride entering his face.

"That pretty much means that he's new to it." Ashido said with a knowing grin, and Sero coughed into his hand once, a look of indignation crossing his face.

"Hey, I'll have you know that I've bagged plenty of targets! You're just jealous." Sero pouted, turning his face away from Ashido.

"Mm, whatever you say, big guy. What's that guy's deal?" Ashido asked, completely ignoring Sero and the squawk of indignation that he gave off and instead gesturing at Real Steel.

Kirishima's eyes softened as he noticed that Real Steel was unconscious. "He's a hero. He helped me fight this guy. I'd be dead without him."

Ashido made a humming noise. "So is Bakugo inside? He might know where the infirmary is." She pointed out, placing a finger to the corner of her mouth as though in deep thought.

"Wait, Ba-" Sero began, only to be quickly cut off by Kaminari.

"Bakugo Katsuki, yeah. Renowned thief, giant bounty. The very same." He pointed out, casting a look at Ashido and Kirishima. The message was clear- if Sero tried anything, they'd be forced to stop him.

Sero let off a small snort. "And you're friends with the guy? Heard he could be a real dick." He said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well, he's...abrasive, but he's really manly when you get to know him!" Kirishima responded, defending his friend.

Sero grunted. "Whatever you say. I'm just here to refuel, collect the credits that I was promised, and not get exploded by the king of 'em. You got the money, chief?" He joked, throwing an arm around Kaminari's shoulders in a friendly manner. Kaminari paled even more and a bead of sweat rolled down his face from the pain, but after a short few seconds of digging into his pockets, he pressed a credit chip into Sero's open palm.

"Thank you kindly. I would refuel here, but…" Sero glanced around, and Kirishima couldn't blame him. He wouldn't want to refuel here either.

"Well, my job's done. Give me a good review, will ya'?" Sero joked, before something white shot out from his arm, attaching to the top of a nearby junk pile, bringing the bounty hunter with it. _Tape_ , Kirishima quickly realized.

Kirishima decided, very pointedly, to not say anything at Sero's strange exit, instead bending down and gently picking Real Steel up. After a long moment of his muscles protesting at him, he managed to get the man into a more comfortable position. Kaminari weighed _much_ less than this guy.

"Let's...just find the infirmary in this place, yeah?" Kirishima managed to ground out, feeling the literal lead weight in his arms begin to put a strain on him.

Ashido nodded, and Kaminari made a noise of grateful agreement. "Yeah, I like that idea. Let's hope that Bakugo found it, yeah?" Kaminari said wearily.

Kirishima nodded, feeling his body protest the simple action. He had to hope that Bakugo found something. They were relying on it.

* * *

"Shitty fucking door!" Bakugo yelled, kicking in another door and finding nothing.

"Shitty fucking door!" The girl on his shoulders echoed, ecstatic.

He'd been searching for almost ten fucking minutes at this point, and he hadn't seen anyone. Vulcan hadn't attacked him yet, which meant that Shitty Hair had either taken him out or they were still fighting. Even if they were, Shitty Hair wasn't going to lose. He didn't deserve to be on the crew if he lost.

Bakugo growled in annoyance, scanning the empty janitor's closet. Where the hell was the fucking infirmary? And where the hell was the backup power? It was standard fucking issue, and he had _seen_ that bullshit on the basement level! He shouldn't have to use his explosions to light the way anymore!

The brat cheered as Bakugo tore down the hallway in annoyance, one hand extended in front of him for a light. Bakugo bit back a loud yell as he felt the brat tug his hair _again_ as she giggled for no fucking reason.

He fucking hated kids. Why the hell was he even still putting up with her?

Reaching a small intersection, Bakugo glanced around. It _had_ to be around here somewhere, right?

The hallway in front of him was dark, with eerie shadows dancing across the ground as the light from his constant, contained explosions lit the large area. To his left was another turn that Bakugo was _sure_ he had come across before.

But to his right, Bakugo spied a faint blue light coming out from a door. The hallway was clear of debris, looking oddly out of place in the wrecked base. But in an area as dark as this, any light wasn't going to go unnoticed. Not to him. It was a surprise that these Federation assholes even had _one_ room running. It had to be high-priority.

Which meant that he might be able to kick the teeth in of anyone who was incompetent enough to let this base get destroyed this easily. He would have beat the shit out of the hero that was here, too, but he knew how that story went.

Bakugo stomped up to the door angrily, hands shoved in his pockets. He didn't have all fucking day. No sense in wasting time trying to find the infirmary if he could just beat the information out of the commander of the base.

Bakugo grabbed the handle of the sliding door, throwing it aside violently. Harsh red eyes stared into the bright light of the room-

Green suddenly filled his vision, and Bakugo violently snapped his head to the left, bringing his body with it to press against the wall to the left of the door. The laser that had been fired at him sailed into the wall, which had several similar markings, now that he looked at it.

The girl on his shoulders let out a yelp at his sudden movements. Bakugo angled his head up at her. "You alright?" He asked gruffly.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay, mister Hero." The girl said, gripping his hair slightly more harshly. Bakugo still didn't say anything. He was an asshole, but even he knew when it was alright for other people to be scared. People who weren't heroes.

Bakugo nodded. "Hey, assholes, I'm trying to help you! Don't fucking shoot at every person walking into your goddamn door!" He yelled around the corner, still refusing to take any risks. Scared people were stupid people.

"Yeah!" The brat said after him, sounding both immensely brave and proud of herself.

There was a small silence before anyone responded. "How do I know that I can trust you?" The voice of the woman who responded was hesitant and wary.

"I'm-" Bakugo began, before being quickly cut off.

"He's a hero! He saved me and he stopped the building from going boom-boom but it was already kinda going boom-boom on the inside and he can make his own boom-booms that look like fireworks!" The brat on his shoulders happily listed off, sounding chipper as all hell just to be there.

Both Bakugo and the woman who shot at him were quiet for a long moment.

A long sigh echoed from within. "You know what, just come out. I'm not going to shoot you right away." The woman said, sounding tired.

Bakugo snorted. "Right away, huh? You know that I'll kill you if you try it." He said, stepping out into the light anyways.

It was a small room, looking like a waiting room at an infirmary. A bunch of chairs had been shoved in a corner with a clear line of sight at the door, which is where the woman was now.

"That doesn't sound very heroic." The woman, who he was just now seeing for the first time, retorted.

The woman had on a white lab coat with a laser gun levelled at his head. Her brown hair was tied back in a bun, and she had blue gloves on with what was clearly blood on them.

Strangely, she had really fucking pointy ears. Part of her Quirk, he had to guess. Shitty fuckin' Quirk.

Bakugo rose an eyebrow. "Is this the infirmary or are you gonna try to fucking stab me?" The woman's eyes narrowed.

"Are you sure you're a hero?" She asked dubiously.

"Does it matter? I'm not about to fucking attack injured people, and I have a goddamn child on my shoulders." Bakugo pointed out, pointing to the brat.

A tense silence settled over the pair, one that even the brat knew not to break. The woman knew very damn well that he wasn't a hero, but the real question here was if she had the balls to do something about it. Hell, she might even know who he was.

After a long, heavy moment, the woman sighed and lowered her gun.

"Welcome to Raxus Station #17. This is the infirmary. How may I help you, _hero_." The woman intoned in a flat voice, completely devoid of emotion with a large emphasis on the word _hero_.

Internally, Bakugo grinned. Looks like he didn't have to kick anyone's teeth in to get information after all. They could get off this godforsaken planet faster now.

"I'm not the one who needs any fucking help. One of the dumbasses on my ship got himself hurt as we crashed. Piece of metal got stuck in his leg." Bakugo told the woman, narrowing his eyes.

The woman snorted. "He'll have to get in line. Come see it for yourself." She said, pushing out of her barricade of chairs and opening up another sliding door to the right.

Bakugo's eyes widened slightly upon entering.

It looked like a fucking bomb had gone off in the room.

There were papers scattered on the floor, people frantically rushing about, and above all else, he could hear orders being shouted as people moved from room to room. What chairs weren't being used as a barricade were being used to hold people with clear laser wounds. There wasn't even a fucking place to sit.

Bakugo let out an aggravated sigh, and the girl on his shoulders whimpered slightly.

"Motherfucker. Yeah, I see what you fucking mean. Never getting off this damn planet…" Bakugo mumbled, fishing in his pockets and turning around to leave the room.

The woman snorted. "You think this is bad? Should've seen it half an hour ago when it all started. Our poor teleporter has been pushed into overdrive." She said, letting out a weary sigh.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me, how the hell does this part of the station have power but the rest of it doesn't? I've been wandering around in the damn dark." Bakugo grumbled as the brat played around with his hair.

"The infirmary has priority power. If the power is ever shut down, for whatever reason, the infirmary gets power after oxygen. With the teleporter constantly active, this area has been overtaxing the generator. Or, at least, I think that's what's happening. I'm not a technician." The woman explained dryly.

Bakugo nodded, a surly look dominating his features. The brat tugged his hair again.

"Kid, is something wrong?" Bakugo snapped, feeling his built-up annoyance get the better of him.

The brat was quiet for a second. "Can I walk around? I'm kinda bored." She said shyly.

Bakugo's face froze as he began to bite out a seething retort. _Don't fucking explode the brat. Don't fucking explode the brat. You've put way too much fucking effort into this kid to kill her now. Don't fucking explode the brat._

"Sure, why not?" Bakugo said in a stilted voice, barely getting it out through gritted teeth.

And then, before he could even go to pick her up off of his shoulders, she tumbled backwards.

Biting back a shout, Bakugo quickly twisted in an attempt to grab her, with his hands just barely grazing the top of her shoes as she fell, head first. He hadn't been expecting that, damn it!

And yet, just as she was about to hit the ground, the girl clasped her hands together and her body slowed to a standstill.

Bakugo froze.

The girl clasped her hands together once more, and her body hit the ground with a small grunt. She looked happy about it, but that did nothing to soothe Bakugo's seething rage.

"Come on, brat, don't just fucking jump off of my shoulders without giving me a goddamn warning, or telling me about your fucking Quirk! You almost gave me a goddamn heart attack! How fucking old are you, anyway? Didn't your parents-" Bakugo began to rampage, cutting himself off before he delved into sensitive territory.

There were tears in the girls eyes.

 _Fucking hell…_

"I'm sorry mister hero, I just...I just thought that I could show you my Quirk and that it would be cool and that you would be all proud of me and-" The girl began blubbering, her words becoming nonsense the longer she talked.

Bakugo let out an aggravated sigh, crouching down to look the brat in the eye and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Kid, look, I don't really give a damn. Just don't be a fucking idiot about things. One of these times, your Quirk might fuck up, or you might fuck up, because there's always going to be some asshole out there who can mess up your Quirk. Don't fucking rely on it to save you like that." Bakugo scolded, watching with a certain sense of satisfaction as the brat nodded along, looking as though she was clinging onto his every word.

"Go do your shit, just don't leave the room." Bakugo instructed, standing back up. There was still plenty of room in the waiting room for the brat to explore. She'd probably find some loose Credits.

Standing back up, Bakugo locked eyes with the woman, who wore an amused expression.

"What?" Bakugo barked out, irritated.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were that girl's father with how you were acting." The woman said, bemused.

Bakugo's rage flared up. "Fuck no, I fucking hate kids! They're annoying pieces of shit who never shut the fuck up!" Bakugo raged.

"Reminds me of someone I know." The woman mumbled.

"You want to fucking go?" Bakugo challenged.

"Oh, of course not. Not against the _great_ _Bakugo Katsuki_." The woman taunted, clearly expecting a reaction.

"Damn right." Bakugo snorted, refusing to give her the satisfaction. So she did recognize him. And if she tried anything funny, Bakugo was gonna kick Aizawa's ass.

The brat's head poked up, a look of interest on her face. "Kats- Katch- Katchuk- Kacchan!" She declared, pumping a tiny arm in the air.

"Don't fucking call me that." Bakugo grumbled, watching with growing anger as the amused face on the woman's face grew.

"Kacchan, Kacchan, Kacchan!" The brat chanted, completely ignoring him.

Bakugo was about two steps away from killing someone.

"I'm going out to tell my friends where this fucking infirmary is. Don't fucking try to talk to me until then." Bakugo grumbled, stomping towards the door with his hands in his pockets, fury etched into his face without even the smallest of efforts to hide it.

Slamming the door shut, Bakugo dug out his comms.

Nobody fucking called him Kacchan. _Nobody_ , and the next time Bakugo saw Deku, he was kicking his fucking face in for all the times that he'd done it.

Bakugo opened up the comms channel. "Oi, Shitty Hair! You still alive, or what?" He called, leaning against the wall.

" _Hey, Bakugo, you're alive! I was worried for a sec-"_

"OF FUCKING COURSE I'M ALIVE, YOU IMBECILE! I'M NOT GONNA BE TAKEN DOWN BY A NO-NAME NOBODY!" Bakugo yelled into the comms, infuriated.

" _...Okay, I see that you've been having a bad day. Is there any good news, or…?"_ Shitty Hair asked, sounding like he was poking a wild bear.

"The station's power is shut down, and I found the infirmary. Good fucking luck getting there, though. It's pretty fucking far away from the entrance. They have a teleporter, but the power's still down in the rest of the station and without a teleporter cuff, you're not gonna be able to even fucking use it." Bakugo listed off, glancing down the hallways.

"I'll make some noise for you. Just follow the explosions. You're not gonna fucking miss it." Bakugo said with a grin threatening to split his face.

" _Why do you say that like you're planning on killing someone?"_

"No one's gonna die unless they get in my way!" Bakugo shot back, irritated.

" _Right, gotcha. I got some good news, too, man! We took out Vulcan and Mercury!"_ Shitty Hair exclaimed joyfully as Bakugo's nose wrinkled in confusion.

"Who the hell is Mercury?" Bakugo asked.

" _One of the other guys in their alliance thing. He wasn't really dangerous. Real Steel almost took him out on his own."_ Shitty Hair babbled.

"Real Steel, huh? That guy's on planet?" Bakugo asked, confused.

" _Yeah! You know him? He got pretty beat up while we were fighting Vulcan. Turns out that Vulcan was holding back a lot and even took Mercury's Quirk. I've got Real Steel right here."_ Shitty Hair explained.

"Yeah, I know him. Kicked his ass in the Sports Festival at U.A. Bastard was the only one strong enough to take any of my hits." Bakugo scoffed, looking down at his hands.

" _Great! So you're friends?"_

"No."

" _...Okay, got it. I'll tell you more 'bout Vulcan and stuff in a minute, just trying to get to you right now."_ Shitty Hair said.

"Don't fucking trip and die." Bakugo warned, clicking off of the call.

Bakugo was motionless for a long moment until a large, sadistic smile crossed his face.

Bakugo slowly opened the door, the smile never leaving his face. "Cover your ears if you wanna fucking keep em."

The woman snapped a glare at him. "What are you planning?"

"I'm gonna make some noise." Bakugo said, licking his lips as a giddy laugh escaped him and explosions arced up from his arm, illuminating his face in a haunting orange glow.

The colour quickly drained from her face. "Th-This is a Federation Base. You can't-"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about the fucking building. If it has a goddamn foundation, it'll still be standing." Bakugo said maliciously, anticipation building up in his whole body.

"...Oh my god, you're actually doing this. I hate my job. Why did I agree to be shipped out here?" The woman mumbled, quickly moving from the room to go into the infirmary proper.

Something tugged at his pant legs, and Bakugo glanced down to see the brat beaming up at him.

"I wanna see it!" The girl exclaimed cheerfully, green hair bobbing as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.

Bakugo glared down at her. "It's gonna be loud." He warned her, watching her face.

She nodded. "Yup! But it's gonna be really cool!" She beamed, smiling up at him with an immensely happy face.

 _She has freckles. Like Deku. God damn it, if this kid reminds me of that shithead any more, I might just fucking punch something._

Bakugo snorted. "Don't come crying to me if you lose your hearing. Cover your damn ears." Bakugo ordered, pulling back out into the hallway with the brat on his heels, both hands on her ears.

Bakugo gripped his right arm with his left hand, staring down into it and letting out a few small experimental explosions.

He hadn't tested this yet. It was all theory. There wasn't going to be a problem if he messed it up, but he wasn't a damn loser who needed five years to master a simple Quirk like Deku. He'd get it right on his first try.

Slowly, Bakugo reached into his pockets and pulled out a pair of earplugs that he had picked up at the last station. He had a feeling that they would be useful here.

But he only had one pair.

The kid was still watching him hopefully, an expectant look on her face. Her hands were still covering her ears.

Sighing, Bakugo put the ear plugs in his own ears. He couldn't have his hearing failing him- not when he needed it sharp for the rest of his journey. If even the slightest factor went wrong, then it could mean his death.

He sent a glare at the brat, and she seemed to catch his meaning, pressing her hands down even harder.

 _This better fucking work._

"Volcanic Blast!" Bakugo roared, the noise numb to his own ears, and bent his explosions to his will.

The move was simple- it created a loud noise. A _very_ loud noise. Loud enough to cause nearby metals to vibrate. It was like his Stun Grenade, except this one could cause pain and destruction.

The explosion billowed outwards, barely anything to it but noise and smoke.

It sounded like nothing but a light ringing, and some mild discomfort crossed the brat's face. The metal around him rang slightly. Bakugo frowned. It wasn't the effect that he was looking for, but he would take it.

Slowly, Bakugo lowered his hand and removed the ear plugs.

"You alright, brat?" Bakugo asked gruffly. The girl nodded, her eyes practically sparkling.

"That was so cool! You get to name all of your things! Do you have more?" She asked, getting worryingly close to him.

"Of course I do! Who the hell do you think I am? You're no hero without a special attack!" Bakugo replied, outraged.

"Whooooaaaa...When I become a hero, I'm gonna make a bunch of em and I'm gonna beat up the baddies! Like- hya!" The brat exclaimed, punching the air with form so bad that Bakugo almost cringed.

"...Right. You, uh. You do whatever the fuck you want, kid." Bakugo responded awkwardly, not sure how to tell her that her Quirk probably wasn't the greatest for being a hero.

The girl plopped down on the floor, while Bakugo remained standing. "My mommy and daddy always tell me that I don't gotta be a hero like them, but I wanna! They're really cool, and I wanna be like them!" She complained, looking like she was about to cry.

Bakugo was quiet for a long moment, as the girl stewed in her thoughts.

"...Hey. If you want to be a hero, then don't think of it like that." Bakugo said after a long pause. The girl looked up at him, confused.

"If your goal is to be cool, then fucking stop now. You're not gonna get anywhere if that's your only idea. You have to be a hero for a _reason_. You can't just half-ass it and expect to beat the people that really _want_ the top spot." Bakugo lectured, feeling distinctly out of place. This would be a conversation that the girl's parents should have with her. It wasn't supposed to be his job. Hell, this wasn't even his kid.

"Hmmm... I don't get it." The girl decided after a long moment. Bakugo let out a long sigh, feeling frustration bubble up inside him.

"Okay, clean the wax out of your ears and listen. Imagine you want an ice cream cone, and you have enough credits for the ice cream cone, but suddenly, this other dumbass kid who _really_ wants some ice cream comes and takes the last one before you can get one, and you don't get any ice cream. It'd be shitty, right?" Bakugo tried phrasing it another way. Based on the fact that the girl's brown eyes lit up, he'd say that she understood.

"Oh, I get it! It's kinda like when I want to build a sand castle but this one meanie keeps kicking it down!" The girl declared.

Bakugo had never felt more irritated in his life.

 _This is going to take a while._

"No, goddamnit, it's closer to-"

* * *

Kirishima panted, feeling exhaustion creep up on him again. He needed to get to this infirmary, and quickly. It wasn't like it was going to be hard to find. Bakugo had made it abundantly clear which direction it was in, and they'd been searching for what felt like hours but was probably closer to half an hour.

Whatever he did, it was loud. _Everything_ about Bakugo was loud, but this cranked the scale up to eleven. Just as Bakugo said, the infirmary was pretty far away, but did he have to let the entire planet know where it was?

Ashido and Kaminari were slowly walking along behind him, with Ashido melting occasional holes in the wall to give light. Kaminari was too tired to give off electricity after calling down that bounty hunter, so this was their only way of seeing.

Whatever happened to the base looked pretty major. There was debris that Ashido had to melt through, and some hallways were just impossible for them to get through with two injured people.

Kirishima let out a long sigh. "How's your leg, Kaminari?" He asked, worried. They had just turned down another hallway. They had to be pretty close by now. He just wanted something to fill the silence.

Kaminari let out a shaky laugh. "It's, um, as fine as it can be. Hurts like hell." He admitted, leaning a bit more heavily on Ashido, who provided as much support as possible.

The group turned down another hallway.

"It should be alright, Kaminari. We should be getting close to the infirmary. Some recovery gel will have you feeling better in a jiffy!" Ashido ventured bravely, giving Kaminari a thumbs-up.

"Yeah, I sure-" Kaminari began, cutting himself short instantly as a strange look crossed his face. The group slowed to a halt.

"Something wrong?" Kirishima asked, glancing around in anticipation. Nothing _seemed_ to be wrong…

"Do you hear something? Like a popping sound?" Kaminari asked quickly, shushing Kirishima.

Kirishima went quiet, straining his ears.

And then, he heard something. It was quiet, but definitely there.

"How did you even hear that with our conversation?" Kirishima asked slowly, amazed. He couldn't quite make out what it was, but he hadn't even noticed it.

"Ah, you know, I just...listened…" Kaminari said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck and wincing at the action.

"...Right." Ashido said, equally as awkwardly, giving Kaminari a strange look.

Kirishima shook his head. "Let's not worry about that and follow the noise, yeah? It could be the infirmary!" Kirishima said excitedly, breaking out into a light jog with Real Steel in his arms.

Kirishima pulled around the turn in the hallway, the sound became louder and more and more distinct. As he went, a broad smile began to brew on his face- that was definitely Bakugo he was hearing. He was probably using his Quirk to give them an idea of where the infirmary was. At this rate, he'd be glad to just sit down.

Kirishima turned around the next bend, hearing Ashido and Kaminari's heavy footfalls behind him. There was a small amount of light in this hallway, illuminating two figures.

Kirishima's shoes almost screeched as he slid to a stop. Bakugo locked eyes with him.

There was a burning fire in those eyes. One that said _mention this to anyone and you die._ And this threat was one that Kirishima believed that Bakugo would fully follow through on.

Bakugo was sitting against a wall, a small child curled up in his lap. A little girl with green hair, specifically, who was clutching his pant leg and snoring lightly.

The only sounds in the hallway, now that Bakugo had extinguished his explosions to glare at Kirishima, was the sound of Kaminari and Ashido catching up, feet plodding along on tile- although even that stopped when they reached Kirishima's side.

Before now, Kirishima didn't think that he had ever seen so much negative energy directed his way. It almost caused him to stagger and drop Real Steel.

Glancing over at Ashido, he found himself suddenly stuck between two forces of intense emotion. He had never seen such an adoring and giddy look on someone's face before. When the little girl suddenly leaned into Bakugo, grasping at his shirt, the look of pure joy and happiness on her face only intensified.

Kaminari, on the other hand, looked like he was trying his absolute hardest to hold back a laugh, even as sweat shone on his face, likely from pain.

Kirishima let out a quiet, awkward laugh, making sure to keep his voice down. "Um, so, hi?" He started out, praying that the right words would reach him as he spoke. They didn't.

Bakugo's eyes narrowed, and Kirishima gulped. Bakugo held such an intense expression that Kirishima felt rooted to the ground.

"...Get inside. I don't have time to deal with you." Bakugo said, turning that frightening gaze away from Kirishima and the group. He breathed a small sigh of relief. He hadn't been worried about Bakugo doing anything, but the sheer threat of it was enough.

Kirishima walked carefully forward, making sure to not jostle Bakugo. Ashido and Kaminari limped along behind him, making sure to keep careful pace.

Kirishima carefully opened the sliding door, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. When his eyes started taking the scenery in, he blinked, his eyes falling on a woman who managed to look unimpressed but concerned at the same time.

"I take it that this is another person to add to the pile?" The woman asked, gesturing to Real Steel. Kirishima nodded, letting out a short pant.

Something in the woman's eyes softened. "Here, let me get him off of your hands. And you need to rest as well, young man. You look like you've ran a mile." She scolded, carefully removing Real Steel from his arms. Kirishima didn't dare protest, finding no problems with sitting down.

The woman carefully lowered Real Steel onto a nearby waiting bench, his legs sprawled uncomfortably over the edge. Kirishima almost fell into one of the adjacent benches as Kaminari and Ashido walked in.

The woman glanced up at the pair, her eyes narrowing. "You must be the one that Bakugo was talking about." She assessed, voice a harsh contrast from when she addressed Kirishima, this time full of disdain.

Kaminari winced. "I-"

"I don't really care whether or not you had good intentions here or not, acting like the heroes that you aren't. I know your kind- villainous scum who do anything to get what they want. You may be able to get away with it when Bakugo is around, but none of you scare me. If you cause trouble here, you'll regret it." She threatened, raising a laser gun out of seemingly nowhere.

The atmosphere of the room intensified, and Kirishima's shoulders tensed. He should have expected that these people would know of Bakugo. They were starting to see the consequences of being wanted by the Federation. They weren't the primary government for nothing.

The room was quiet for a long moment, the three of them thrown into stunned silence.

Until Kaminari spoke.

"Oi, don't go around dissing people like that. You can insult me all you like. I can take it. But don't you dare go around insulting my friends just because of something that they did in the past. If you go around dissing my mates, there's nothing stopping me from making you shut your trap." Kaminari countered in a low, quiet voice that could be heard easily in the quiet room. His eyes, burning with resolve, bored into the woman's.

Electricity quietly crackled around Kaminari, just barely avoiding Ashido.

After a long moment, the woman sighed, lowering the laser gun.

"I suppose that you _did_ help us out. I heard reports of three heroes fighting for us. I'm going to assume that it was those two," she gestured to Real Steel and Kirishima, "and Bakugo."

"As thanks, it's only right that I give you an examination and try to help out as best as I can." The woman said with a sigh, pulling her gloves down lower on her hands.

"Take a seat. I'm addressing those who fought first. Your wounds may not be critical." She said, gesturing towards Kaminari. Slowly, he lowered himself into one of the non-taken seats with the help of Ashido, who rolled her shoulders.

"Man, Kaminari, you're heavy to try and carry for that long! You should probably eat less." Ashido said cheerfully, stretching out.

"Hey, are you just gonna say that after I defended us?! Come on, man!" Kaminari complained half-heartedly. Ashido gave him a cheery smile.

The woman rolled her eyes, crouching down near Real Steel and placing her head on his chest.

"Um...What are you doing?" Kirishima asked, mildly alarmed.

"My Quirk can let me listen to the blood flow of a patient's body. It's useful in identifying problems." The woman explained shortly, a cross look on her face. Kirishima went quiet, not wanting to disrupt her work.

After several long seconds, the woman let out a relieved sigh and lifted her head.

"He's going to be fine. His blood is moving in such a way that suggests an iron deficiency. The only thing that can really help him here is rest and supplements to help him get back to a normal level or iron in his body. He must have overdone himself with his Quirk." The woman diagnosed rapidly, hands on her hips.

Kirishima nodded rapidly, clinging to every word.

Something in the woman's gaze softened. "You fought alongside him, right? Don't worry, Real Steel will be fine."

"How did you know his name?" Kirishima immediately asked. His tired brain couldn't quite keep up with everything that was happening.

The woman rolled her eyes. "My son loves heroes. He wants to be one when he gets older, so I've heard all about them. He could probably tell you what type of breakfast Deku eats." She explained, a soft smile gracing her lips.

"Now, I still need to check you. There's no telling what the internal complications of such a crash could be." The woman quickly transitioned to Kaminari, now resting with his leg out in front of him. Kirishima took notice of the fact that the shirt that they'd wrapped his leg in was wet, and he doubted that it was water.

The woman repeated her process on Kaminari, the man looking increasingly uncomfortable the longer it went on.

She lifted her head from his chest and raised a finger in the air.

"You have minor damage to each arm in addition to several small pieces of shrapnel in your leg, not too far from the major wound. In all honesty, you were lucky. Any worse and you would likely need surgery before we attempted to heal you." The woman lectured, lightly chopping Kaminari on the head. The man winced but nodded.

"The best that I can do for you is to remove the shrapnel. It'll be painful. Once I do that, the healers here might have room for you." The woman explained gravely, fixing Kaminari with a look that meant serious business.

Kaminari paled. "Pull out...the shrapnel?"

An evil look crossed the woman's face, one that sent dread down Kirishima's spine.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

Tetsutetsu's mind felt like it was in a fog.

Vaguely, he could make out sounds in the background, but his limbs were sluggish and his eyelids didn't want to open. And yet, he still felt the need to wake up. His body had been resting for far too long now. He was a hero, and he had a job to do.

Slowly, Tetsutetsu opened his eyes, wincing when he was met with blinding light.

He blinked a few times, rolling his head away from the light that seared his eyes. Slowly, he began to take in his surroundings.

He was in some sort of waiting room. It looked bland. That was all he could really say about it.

A hand rested on his shoulder and Tetsutetsu jumped, not having seen anyone. "Whoa, easy there, buddy. It's just me. Red Riot." A somewhat familiar voice filled his ears, and Tetsutetsu relaxed a bit.

"What happened?" Tetsutetsu asked, mouth dry.

"We won. You're in the infirmary at the station. The battle's over." Red Riot explained soothingly.

Tetsutetsu let out a long sigh, bringing his arm up to shield his eyes.

"We even got him captured, and we've reached a sort of peace with the rebels. So there's no more need to fight!" Red Riot explained excitedly.

Tetsutetsu hummed, feeling a satisfied sort of exhaustion set in.

His shoulder and side hurt. It was a harsh, dull pain that distracted his thoughts and sent his mind into disarray.

WIncing, he moved his left arm to lift up his shirt.

An angry purple and green bruise was beginning to form. He let out a long sigh. He was going to need recovery gel if he wanted to go back to work quickly.

"Metalhead. You're awake." A familiar, grating voice reached his ears, and Tetsutetsu tensed, his head snapping to the side and his eyes widening.

Not five feet away from him sat Bakugo Katsuki, his signature smirk on his face.

It had been a while since the two had spoken. A _very_ long while. The two of them used to spar, with the reasoning being that Tetsutetsu had been able to take a hit without complaint. On Tetsutetsu's side, Bakugo had been a great test of the limits of his strength.

Hell, Bakugo had been the inspiration for his Ironclad mode, so it was like seeing an old friend who had stabbed you.

Tetsutetsu rolled over, refusing to meet Bakugo's eyes. "I ain't gonna talk to a man like _you_. Go the hell away." He said, completely resolute.

Bakugo snorted. "I ain't going anywhere until my ship's repaired, which means that I'm gonna be here for another few hours. Better get used to my face, Metalhead."

Tetsutetsu froze. His ship was damaged? So that must have meant that he was dragged into this by the space battle that Tetsutetsu had barely circumvented.

But, in this situation, one too many things weren't adding up.

Rolling back over, Tetsutetsu casted a glance at Red Riot.

"You. While we were fighting with Vulcan, you said that Bakugo was your friend. Are you a hero or are you aligned with him?" Tetsutetsu spared no time in asking the question that had been on his mind for a while.

Red Riot paled, and Tetsutetsu closed his eyes with weariness.

There was silence for a long moment before Red Riot answered, voice shaky. "I'm travelling with Bakugo to do some good in the galaxy. He's got a manly spirit, and he's more of a hero than some of them out there. I may not be a hero, but I want to help people!" Red Riot proclaimed, voice steadily gaining confidence.

Tetsutetsu thought back to the downright murderous expressions that Bakugo tended to wear, his catchphrase of ' _die_ ', his aggressive nature, and all of his other villainous qualities, and found himself unable to agree.

"Plus, he _tried_ to leave, but he got attacked, so it's my duty as a man to help out my friend until he's safe!" Red Riot finished, sounding completely sure of himself. Tetsutetsu rolled back over to meet his eyes, noting how uncomfortable the waiting room bench was.

There was no doubt in his eyes. Whatever Bakugo was doing, Red Riot truly believed that it was the right thing to do.

Tetsutetsu sighed. "You know it's illegal to use a Quirk against other people without a hero license? I could have you two arrested for vigilantism." He monotoned, not much bite behind the bark.

"You're not gonna do shit. You'd be dead without our help, and it's not like I can't beat the shit out of everyone in this base, including you." Bakugo snorted, and Tetsutetsu glanced at him, annoyed.

That was when he saw the little girl clinging to his arm.

Green hair. Curious brown eyes. Freckles.

 _Oh no._

Did he...did he know? He couldn't. There was no way. But did Tetsutetsu want to take the risk?

"Mister hero, he's looking at me kinda funny." The little girl stage-whispered to Bakugo, and Tetsutetsu had never heard stranger words before.

"That's because he's a fucking idiot. And get the hell off my arm!" Bakugo snapped to the kid, anger crossing his face. The girl beamed back at him, but let go anyways.

"Okay, mister hero!" She said happily, dropping to the floor with a light _thud_. She rolled backwards twice, neither of them needed to land.

Bakugo glanced back at Tetsutetsu, an ugly look crossing his face. "Don't you fucking dare telling Deku about this until I'm off the planet. The last thing that that fucker needs to be focusing on is me right now." Bakugo warned.

Tetsutetsu paused, watching the girl roll around on the floor. Why would it be bad for Deku if he focused on Bakugo? He knew that the two had a complicated relationship, but how bad could it really be?

Watching as the girl hit her head against the wall and Bakugo began yelling at her to stop being stupid, Tetsutetsu let out a long sigh. This was going to be a long few hours.

* * *

They had almost made it out of the base when they got ambushed.

"Let go of my leg." Bakugo ordered.

"I don' wanna."

"Do it or I'll blow you up." Bakugo tried again.

"No!" The brat complained.

Bakugo let out a weary sigh. "Why the hell are you being so difficult?"

"You're really nice and you have a cool Quirk because it's like pretty fireworks and-" The brat began to babble, and Bakugo's eye twitched.

"Stop." He ordered harshly. The girl went quiet with a small whimper, but she clung even tighter to his leg.

Exasperation welled up in him when he glanced at the three idiots. Raccoon Eyes was taking pictures with her comm, Shitty Hair had a huge fucking smile on his face, and Pikachu...was about passed the fuck out from the recovery gel.

"Look, kid, do you have a comm?" Bakugo asked, annoyed. He didn't expect her to, but he knew better than to assume shit nowadays.

The girl blinked and stared up at him, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. "Y-yeah…" She said, unsure. Bakugo raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

"Let me see it." Bakugo ordered.

The girl didn't even think to question his orders, just digging around in her small jacket and digging out one of the latest models of communicator. Hell, it looked better than his.

"Fuckin' heroes…" Bakugo grumbled, putting his newest comm number in it. Handing it back to the girl, he let out a small sigh of annoyance when she didn't let go of his leg.

"I put my comm number in there. You can call me now, or whatever the fuck you want to do with it. Don't fucking call me late at night, though, you fucking got it? I like my fucking sleep." Bakugo lectured, making sure that the girl understood. Something in her entire demeanor seemed to change- she went from despairing about him leaving to being absolutely overjoyed.

After another long minute of her hugging his leg and making grateful babbling noises that Bakugo couldn't even make out, she carefully let go with a sniffle.

 _This damn kid gets attached way too fucking easily. I'm not exactly a damn role model. Fucking hell, couldn't she have just fucking latched on to Shitty Hair? They'd be best fucking friends. Basically the same fucking person._

"Good. Now, what do you do when someone's an asshole to you?" Bakugo asked, quickly making sure she had understood the lessons he had tried to teach her.

"I gotta kick em in the shins, then I gotta punch em, and then I gotta yell 'Get fucked, you piece of shit', tell them to die, and run?" The girl recited, steadily becoming more and more uncertain as she recited it.

Bakugo smiled a sinister smile. "That's damn right. You're starting to learn, you little brat." He said, patting her twice awkwardly on the head.

"But mister hero, my daddy said not to swear. He does it sometimes, though…" She trailed off, curling a finger on the bottom of her lip.

"Well, I'm a hero. I'm giving you permission to swear from this day forward." Bakugo played along, standing up straight and fixing her with a serious expression.

The girl looked uncertain for only another moment.

" _Fuck_." The girl said, testing the waters and clenching her fists.

Bakugo almost wiped a tear from his eyes.

But he didn't, because he wasn't fucking crying, and anyone who told him otherwise could suck it.

"So long, brat." Bakugo said his final farewell, turning away from her.

"Goodbye, mister hero." The kid responded sadly.

Bakugo never stopped walking, rejoining the tapeworms whose eyes held a thousand questions. They turned to walk with him, just a few paces in front of him.

But before their band of misfits set out for their ship, which had been fixed by drones and carried by Tugs all the way to the front of the base, Bakugo decided to give one final goodbye.

He wasn't the sentimental type. This encounter didn't mean shit for him. The only thing that happened was that he babysat a kid for a few hours and taught her to swear.

But it still didn't feel right that he left like that. Hell, he probably wasn't even gonna see the kid again.

So he raised his hand in a peace sign, refusing to turn around but knowing that the kid saw it.

After a few long seconds, he lowered his arm, and Shitty Hair turned to him, a confused look on his face. "Bakugo? You do something?" He asked.

"Nothing. Shut the fuck up and walk behind me, you asses." He sneered, pulling ahead of the pack.

"And stop fucking looking at me like that, Raccoon Eyes!" Bakugo snapped, finally allowing himself to fully express his anger.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Bakugo." Raccoon Eyes responded innocently.

Bakugo snorted. "Look alive, Pikachu!" He yelled, slapping the man in question on the back of the head. Pikachu jumped, completely startled.

"I'm alright! Don't worry about me!" Pikachu instantly reassured.

"Then don't fucking fall asleep standing up. I know how that stuff feels, but we're almost at the fucking ship." Bakugo reprimanded.

Pikachu nodded, eyes still drooping a bit.

Bakugo put some more emphasis in his step, throwing open the door that lead to the outside.

Parked a small distance from the base was their ship, looking good as new. Bakugo's lip curled, feeling a sort of satisfaction in actually having someone else doing what he would normally have to.

And all of it for free. The Federation were grateful for their help, and for a damn good reason. Some recognized him, but it wouldn't really fucking matter when they were just people without good combat Quirks against two assholes who knew how to fight like heroes. They would have all been dead without their help.

The ramp lowered, and Bakugo's eyes narrowed as they approached.

"Wait here. Something isn't right." Bakugo muttered, eyes narrowing.

Something about the ship felt...off. He didn't know what it was, but his gut instinct was telling him that something was wrong. Bakugo knew better than to not trust his instincts.

"Bakugo, what's wrong?" Raccoon Eyes asked, worry in her voice.

"Got a bad feeling." Bakugo responded warily, stomping up the ramp with the tapeworms only a little bit behind.

Stomping forwards, Bakugo kicked open the door to the bridge and stepped through, eyes roaming.

But before he could react, something was wrapping around his body- something sticky. He couldn't move his arms.

"Haha! Got you! Never thought it would be this easy. Your bounty is mine, Bakugo Katsuki!" A voice laughed, sounding very overconfident.

Bakugo turned to look to his right, unimpressed. Standing there was a man with really fucking weird elbows and the plainest face and hair that Bakugo had ever seen. Like, goddamn. His hair looked like someone cracked a fucking egg in half and colored it black.

Experimentally, Bakugo tugged his arms. Nothing. He could only move a little bit, so he wasn't completely immobilized.

"Now all I have to do is bring you in and I'll be sitting pretty for years!" The man (bounty hunter, Bakugo realized) bragged, throwing his hands behind his head.

"Hey, jackass. Did you even read up on me before trying to take me out?" Bakugo asked, slightly amused. It was kind of adorable, how clueless he was.

"Of course! You're Bakugo Katsuki. Quirk: Explosion. Your bounty is ten million credits. I'm not so stupid to walk in unprepared." The man explained, cracking his knuckles.

Bakugo stared at him for a long moment, and turned his palm upward.

With a single explosion, carefully fired upwards, the tape blocking his arms from moving caved, and with another explosion, Bakugo's right palm met the face of the bounty hunter.

"DIE!" Bakugo roared, firing off an explosion in his face. Egg-head fell over with a yelp, and Bakugo let out a laugh.

"Come on, you're not the first asshole to try it. I've fought and destroyed people who were a lot smarter than you." Bakugo said, rolling his eyes.

Stepping over the groaning body of the idiot, Bakugo sauntered out of the bridge, looking out past the lowered ramp.

"It was just some bounty hunter asshole. Come on." Bakugo called, disinterested.

Stalking back into the bridge, he leered down imperiously at egg-head. "Get the fuck out of my ship before I blast you to kingdom come." Bakugo threatened, voice a low rumble. Slowly, and with a groan, egg-head pulled himself up. The door to the bridge opened up once more, and the three idiots walked through.

"Sero? Why are you here?" Pikachu mumbled in a haze.

"You know this fucker?" Bakugo asked, narrowing his eyes. Egg-head groaned, gingerly touching his cheek.

"Yeah, he's a bounty hunter. I hired him to help out with Vulcan. Why is he here, though? I thought he'd be off-planet by now…" Pikachu mumbled, eyes glazed over.

"Hey, I'm right here, you know!" Egg-head complained.

"No one cares, Egg-head!" Bakugo shouted, temper flaring even despite the protests from Egg-head.

"Give him a second to talk, Bakugo. Why are you still here?" Shitty Hair asked jovially, giving a smile and a small wave.

"I figured you'd be off-planet by now. It isn't smart to try and take on a big job as a novice bounty hunter, you know! They have that bounty for a reason." Racoon Eyes chirped, sitting down on a chair and swinging her legs

"Don't worry about it, though. Bakugo's really strong, so you probably couldn't have beaten him even if you got stronger." Shitty Hair continued unperturbed, and Bakugo sneered.

The bridge fell silent, all eyes on Egg-head. An unknown emotion was on his face- a strange mixture of broken pride, confusion, and fear.

"You guys...Are really weird!" Egg-head suddenly exclaimed, letting out a short laugh as his face twisted into a smile.

"THE FUCK YOU SAY ABOUT ME! I'LL KILL YOU!" Bakugo roared, feeling rage burn hotly in his gut.

"I was only still here because my ship was stolen after I went back to it. I tried to pick up some easy credits, but you all saw how that went." Egg-head continued, completely ignoring Bakugo and adding a touch of derision to his tone.

"Your ship was stolen? The fuck did you do, just leave it out there for the taking? Scavengers do whatever the fuck it takes to get a ship, so it's just fucking gone to the wind at this point." Bakugo pointed out, snorting.

Egg-head let out a long sigh. "Yeah, I know, and it's not exactly like I'm buddy-buddy with the Federation. I don't even have the money for a new ship, and I don't want to be stuck on this scrap heap for any longer than I have to." Egghead explained, shoulders slumped and gaze downwards.

Shitty Hair nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, you're not alone in that. We're sort of getting chased by them right now."

"What do you mean sort of?" Egg-head asked somewhat nervously before glancing at Bakugo.

"Oh, I get it. I still don't have a way off the planet, though. You guys at least have a ship." Egg-head pointed out, although he didn't look too impressed with what he saw.

"Wellll, your Quirk has something to do with tape, right?" Raccoon Eyes abruptly asked, leaning forwards with a devious look in her eyes.

 _Please, for the love of fuck, no._

"Uh, yeah? I can shoot tape from my elbows and wrap it around things. But if I use it too much, I get dry skin." Egg-head happily revealed, telling Bakugo just how fucking stupid this man was.

"So what you're saying is that you can immobilize other people and fix up a ship, right?" Raccoon Eyes continued.

The switch finally clicked for Egg-head, just as annoyance fully built up for Bakugo.

"Wait...You wouldn't-" Egg-head began, a look of wonder in his eyes.

"No." Bakugo said instantly.

The bridge was quiet for a long second.

"Wh-What? Why not? His Quirk is useful, and he seems like a nice guy!" Raccoon Eyes complained, and Bakugo's eyes narrowed.

"Exactly. His Quirk _is_ useful. And if he's with a bounty hunting guild, they probably had him place trackers in here. They would expect that I would be able to take him out, but they sent him in case I decided that he could be useful. We can't keep him because he's a threat and an unnecessary drain on resources." Bakugo reasoned.

"Bakugo, there's no way he could have known that you were here! He didn't even know about you until after his ship was stolen, and he's wearing pretty casual clothes! I'm sorry, but as a man, I can't turn away someone who needs my help!" Shitty Hair proclaimed, slamming his hand into a fist with a look of blazing determination in his eyes.

Bakugo narrowed his eyes at Shitty Hair, who stood resolute.

Bakugo looked at Egg-head, who looked nervous.

Glancing at Raccoon Eyes, he saw that her hands were staying flat by her sides, but she looked ready to drop into a stance fit for fighting.

Pikachu was staring into the distance, but his look wasn't quite as hazy as before. Bakugo was certain that if he tried to touch him, the bastard would accidentally shock him.

Bakugo let out a long sigh, firing off a series of small explosions in his palm. "Egg-head. How long have you been a bounty hunter? And if you lie to me, I'll kill you." This time, it wasn't an empty threat. Egg-head would die if Bakugo found his answers to be suspicious.

"U-um, just over a month, now. I started it to earn some cash. Gotta put food on the table somehow, right?" Egg-head responded, looking anywhere but Bakugo's eyes.

Suspicious, but understandable. Bakugo was someone to be scared of.

"Did you plant anything on, around, or inside this ship?" Bakugo asked, making sure that his question was clear. One asshole had tried avoiding his questions by answering in half-truths. Bakugo had kicked the man through a wall to get him to stop talking in riddles.

"No. I don't even have anything to plant. I usually just catch people with my Quirk and bring them to the nearest Fed base if they're a criminal, or the nearest Guild if they're a hero or civvie." Egg-head responded, looking like he had found his rhythm.

Bakugo fired a louder explosion, and Egg-head was thrown off again. Good. The more scared he was, the more likely he was to not give him any bullshit.

"Did you actually get your ship stolen or taken by scavengers without your knowledge?" Bakugo asked with a sneer.

This time, Egg-head met his stare. There was fear in his eyes, but there was also a calm determination.

"I wouldn't be here if I hadn't." He responded with some confidence.

Bakugo sighed, and he stopped his explosions.

"If I decide that you're useless, I'm kicking you out. If I decide that you're a threat to any of these assholes, I'm going to murder you. Do you understand?" Bakugo prompted with a whoop of joy from Raccoon Eyes.

"Don't sound so fucking happy about that! It ain't like we got room in this fucking ship for him. And _you_ \- if we get into a space battle, make yourself fucking useful. We've got sensors. No asshole around here is going to be sitting around on the _Ground Zero!_ " Bakugo roared, pointing towards Egg-head with a frightening look on his face.

A frightened look passed over Egg-head's face for a second before he gave a lazy salute. "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Now let's get off this shitty rock!" Bakugo roared, slipping into the pilot's seat.

As the ship's engines roared to life and Egg-head made his introductions, Bakugo let out a small sigh. _This better be the last asshole on this ship._

 _One more person and then they're liabilities._

The ship entered the atmosphere, and a relieved feeling filled Bakugo's heart. They were finally off of this shitty rock.

"All for One...I'm coming for you." Bakugo muttered under the incessant chatter in the background.

This planet would serve to be the first big hurdle in his journey, but it certainly wouldn't be his last.

* * *

" _Hey, Midoriya! Mission successful!"_ Real Steel said happily, an easygoing smile on his face. Midoriya smiled, relieved. Even through a video call, Tetsutetsu managed to keep spirits up.

"That's great. Did you encounter any resistance?" Midoriya asked. He knew that Tetsutetsu would have been in a fight, but he wanted to know if there was anything extra, out of the ordinary.

Tetsutetsu's eyes slid away from his own for a moment, and worry began to grow in Midoriya's heart.

" _Uh...Yeah, there was some resistance, you could say. I fought two villains who seemed to be behind the attack. One of them is comatose and the other refuses to answer any questions."_ Tetsutetsu responded, looking slightly bashful.

"You put someone in a coma?" Midoriya asked, raising an eyebrow.

" _No! Not at all. He- look, I'll explain it in the mission report. There's a couple more important things that you need to know."_ Tetsutetsu rapidly explained.

" _There's a new group of villains around, and it looks like they're using the theme of the Roman gods. They don't seem overly dangerous, but there's something you should know- they're after Bakugo."_ Tetsutetsu explained, donning a serious look.

"Kacchan? Why?" Midoriya pondered aloud, curling a finger around his chin.

" _Don't know. They think that killing him will give them the power to rule the galaxy, though. Speaking of Bakugo- he was on-planet. I was too weak from my fight with one of the villains to try and apprehend him and his friends."_ Tetsutetsu explained, lowering his head and clenching a fist in shame.

"His friends?" Midoriya ventured cautiously.

" _Yeah. He had a few people with him. A girl with pink skin, a guy with red, spiky hair named Kirishima Eijirou, and a guy with yellow hair with a streak of black in it like a lightning bolt. Kirishima called himself Red Riot and helped me in my fight. I never got the names of the rest."_

Midoriya lowered his head in earnest thought, curling a finger around his chin. _Kacchan never managed to make friends. If he ever talked to anyone, it was because he respected their strength, and he only talked to them to ask for a spar. But what would be so different about these people that would make him tolerate them, and vice versa? Kacchan isn't the nicest person- he's always been a bit of a bully. So does that mean that he's forcing these people to be around him? No, that doesn't make sense either. Kacchan flew solo even as a thief. So are they forcing him to stick with them? That doesn't make much sense either. Whoever these people are, they would have to be strong enough to force him to stay, and Kacchan managed to hold off the entirety of the League of Villains at once for over ten minutes, even while All Might fought All For One. So did they reach an agreement, then? But what terms would be so dire that Kacchan would accept working with other people? It can't be a villain. There's no one who's directly strong enough to hold out against Kacchan for long enough to make him worry, unless it's someone like Muscular or Rappa. But then again, Muscular was broken out of Tartarus, as well as All For One, and Rappa is still imprisoned from after Todoroki fought him. But how would Kacchan know that? From the security footage that survived, we know that Kacchan raced straight for the ships. But we never saw what he left in, and only know the classification of the ship from Jirou's reports, and in that report, she mentioned that there was a man with yellow hair with Kacchan. That means that he stuck with them for this long, despite there being a large amount of time to leave, which means that he most likely plans on sticking with them out of some form of necessity._

"Deku? You're muttering again." Ochako's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and he looked up, blinking. Tetsutetsu had an amused smile on his face, and Ochako was giving him the same sweet look she always did. Midoriya reddened.

"Ah, sorry!" He apologized frantically, waving his hands in front of him.

 _But there's something that I know for sure. Kacchan knows that All For One is out of prison, and he probably wants to fight him._

Midoriya let out a short sigh. "Don't worry about it, Tetsutetsu. Kacchan is just too strong to fight directly. I'll send some people out to investigate those villains. Do you have anything else for me?" He asked, mentally mapping out what resources he could put where.

Tetsutetsu's face instantly shifted from relieved to worried again, and Midoriya prepared for some bad news.

" _Uh. Your, um. Uh. Yeah, um, your kid is here."_ Tetsutetsu said, an extremely awkward look on his face.

Midoriya froze, feeling fear creep up on him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ochako don a worried expression.

" _And Bakugo taught her to swear."_

The bridge was silent as Midoriya processed this, keeping a careful eye on Ochako for her reaction. Her face was an unreadable mix of emotions, but Midoriya gave himself about twenty seconds before she exploded.

"Alright thanks for telling me you should probably go now before you get yelled at, bye!" Midoriya rushed out in one quick breath, instantly ending the call before Ochako could do anything.

He took a deep breath, only a little bit worried for his daughter. She was only four, and she'd just discovered her Quirk a week ago. It was the same as her mother's. Still, though, it sounded like Kacchan had talked to her and that she was alright. Besides, Tetsutetsu was there. He could watch out for her.

Still, though…

Midoriya let out a small laugh. _That sounds just like something you would do, Kacchan. Didn't you say that kids should be able to look out for themselves?_

 _I feel like she'll be just fine._

* * *

 **And that's a wrap for Chapter 7- Of Limits and Strength!**

 **I apologize on the delay on this chapter, as well as the length of it. Last chapter, I believe that I said that I would have this out in a few days. At the time, I already had about 9k words done on this one. I planned on making it 15-20k words at the maximum, and I figured that it would only take me a few days to get it out.**

 **And then a week sent straight from hell descended on me. I had several important, future-determining tests at school back-to-back, sports matches, and a myriad of other things happened. I would often come home weary and tired, and if I didn't, I had homework to do. I didn't have the chance to write for a while, and I didn't want to write if it wouldn't be good. And so, I decided to make this a big chapter. A** _ **really**_ **big chapter, by the end. I try not to go back on my promises, but this is a way of making up for the delay.**

 **If you're actually reading this author's note and already plan to review, then let me know if you prefer longer chapters like this one or shorter chapters like the last one. If I do write longer chapters, it'll only be an extra 5k or so words, though. It won't be anything drastic.**

 **As for this chapter- Sero has joined the crew in a roundabout manner, and a rebellion was quelled. However, turmoil is still spreading through the galaxy, and All For One is still on the move. In the next chapter, the crew of the** _ **Ground Zero**_ **encounter troubles in space while two well-known heroes begin their own search for the Roman God villains- and making good progress along the way.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Anonymuss45, signing off.**


	8. Of Fire, Ice, and Hope

**An Explosive Arbiter**

 **Chapter 8: Of Fire, Ice, and Hope**

Bakugo Katsuki refused to look back at Raxus as he fired up the starmap, adamantly keeping his eyes facing forwards. The last thing he wanted was to remember that godforsaken planet and the humiliation he went through there.

"We're getting the fuck out of this sector as soon as humanly possible." Bakugo mumbled, eyes roaming over the starmap inquisitively.

"So, where are you all headed?" Egg-head asked innocently. The bridge was quiet for a long moment. Bakugo sent a glance back at Shitty Hair, who was giving him an encouraging look.

 _Fucking fine._ "Let me tell you right now- if you don't like where we're going, I'm dropping you off as soon as possible. I don't need anyone who's going to bitch out at the last second, got it?" Bakugo warned. Egg-head gave Bakugo a concerned look.

"It can't be _that_ bad, right? I mean, it's not like we're going to Tartarus or anything, right?" Egg-head nervously joked with a small laugh.

"Yep. You're definitely fucking right on that one. We're going to Terra Ultima." Bakugo responded, firing up the engines.

Egg-head made a choking sound as the ship entered FTL.

"But- but _why_? You're _Bakugo Katsuki!_ That's, like, asking for you to get captured!" Egg-head complained. Bakugo's eye twitched for a moment.

"I'm not gonna get fucking captured again! There's nobody on Terra Ultima who can capture me just like that! Besides, do you really think I'd be that much of a fucking dumbass to go there without a reason? Hahh?" Bakugo growled threateningly, turning and leaning forwards in his chair to intimidate Egg-head.

Egg-head leaned back and away from Bakugo. "Hey, I never said that! You just probably shouldn't go there, you know? What could be so important that you need to be there so fast?"

Bakugo let out a sigh. _Fuck, I'm gonna end up telling this story to every idiot in the goddamn galay at this rate. Should I even tell the asshole? It's safer not to. I'm not taking any goddamn risks where I don't need to._

"...so All For One broke out of prison during this _huge_ break-in, right? Like, it was big enough to get both me _and_ him out. So now, we're all on the run as a group! Really makes for good bonding. Like, he might've killed us at any moment at the start, but now? Now he's only slightly likely to kill us." Pikachu explained, waving his hands around like a dumbass the whole time.

Bakugo glared at Pikachu, not even trying to hide his disdain. "God damn it, Pikachu! Don't just go around telling the entire goddamn galaxy!" He seethed.

"What? It's not like we can just hide it from him! He's going to figure it out eventually, anyways." Pikachu defended, holding his hands up in surrender.

Bakugo snorted. "He doesn't look like all his screws are in place upstairs. Could've fucking waited."

"Wait, All For One isn't in prison anymore?" Egg-head asked, eyes wide and disbelieving.

"See what I mean?" Bakugo snorted.

"No, he's not. That's why we need to go to Terra Ultima. To kill him." Raccoon Eyes muttered, a dark look in her eyes.

Bakugo narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't quite right with her.

Just as Bakugo was about to ask what her deal was, Shitty Hair beat him to the punch.

"Ashido, you alright? Like, I get that he's, like, _super_ evil, but there's no need to stay so serious about this." Shitty Hair reasoned, a resolutely worried expression on his face.

Raccoon Eyes blinked once, looking at Shitty Hair. In a single moment, something about her entire personality took a complete 180, returning back to her normally peppy and annoying attitude. "Yep! Never better! I just want to do part in helping out, you know?" She said with a bright smile.

"Right, well, if there's ever a problem, don't be afraid to tell us, yeah?" Shitty Hair offered, looking relieved.

"You got it!" Raccoon Eyes nodded, still giving that damn happy grin of hers.

But Bakugo had seen a lot of fake smiles in his life. He knew when someone was genuine. This smile wasn't any better than the one that Deku hastily threw on whenever he fought.

Bakugo wasn't an idiot. Hell, he was the opposite- he was a damn _genius_ , and he knew it. The idiots around him didn't seem to realize that.

Bakugo had a few theories on why Raccoon Eyes was acting like she was, but he needed just a bit more proof. He could guess right now, in front of all of the other idiots, and he would probably be right. But he wouldn't do that to her.

He wouldn't call her on it. Not here, not now. He would give her that basic courtesy. He was an asshole, he could admit that, but he wasn't that kind of asshole. But this problem is something that had to be addressed. If he just left it, who fucking knows what could happen.

Meanwhile, the merry band of misfits kept chatting it up. Egg-head fit in perfectly. There was no end to the stream of shit that poured from his mouth. He was like a social Mothra. All of them seemed to have that same goddamn annoying quality.

None of them knew when to shut the hell up. They were all positive as hell, and it was fucking annoying. Bakugo had barely ever even seen Shitty Hair frown when he wasn't provoking the idiot.

Bakugo let out a weary sigh, taking another look at the starmap. This delay cost them. If Deku was still just as predictable as before, then they only had a few days of a head start on him, and Bakugo needed extra time to get on-planet more easily.

Three jumps, one of which would be spent refueling. That would be the fastest route.

In the meantime, though…

Bakugo kicked his feet up on the console, careful not to hit any of the buttons. His eyes fluttered once, and then again.

Until then, he would sleep.

* * *

There was a steady beat as he walked, a flat _thump, thump, thump_ as his boots echoed in the white, sterile halls of the _Perfect Harmony_.

The ship was too clean for his tastes. It always made him uncomfortable, just how clinical the halls seemed. Their drones were efficient at their job, but he never had the heart to call it creepy.

"Wooow...Cryo Flame is so cool! Just look at that intense look on his face! He must be thinking of battle strategies even now!"

Ah. The sidekick. He'd almost forgotten about her.

She was a hero fanatic, not dissimilar to Midoriya. It was a little strange how focused she was on him, but he had plenty of fans, all eccentric.

Todoroki cast a glance back at her, and a wide grin crossed her face, sending a mild twinge of discomfort through him. There was adoration, and then there was obsession. He shouldn't have this level of influence over someone.

Wait, did she say something…? He had tuned her out.

After a long moment of him looking at her and her not responding, Todoroki merely let out a soft grunt of acknowledgement and kept walking forwards. Behind him, the girl, Spyralia, let out a soft squeal, and Todoroki resisted the urge to sigh.

He'd signed the girl on because of both her Quirk and her personality. With a Quirk that made her stronger the more intense her will to fight was, she had the potential to be amazingly strong. However, she placed poorly in U.A's Sports Festival because she was unwilling to hurt her friends and because she had poor mobility.

He was one of three that sent her an application. One of the first things she told him was that she wasn't even expecting any. He had looked her in the eyes and told her that that fear wasn't unjustified.

After her relatively uneventful experience in the field, she was sent back to school. When she came back to his office in Musutafu a few months later for an internship, there was something new in her eyes. Something that said that she had dealt with something serious. It was why he had agreed to take her on as an intern.

If there was one thing that he made sure any sidekicks that he took on learned, it was the value of determination. He pushed them to their limits, and then forced them to break those limits, or die trying.

So far, none of Todoroki's seven interns have ever failed to meet his expectations.

Spyralia hummed as she skipped alongside him, eyes glued to him. Once again, he felt mildly disturbed.

"So, uh, Mister Cryo Flame, sir, what exactly are we doing?" She asked shyly, a faint blush adorning her cheeks.

Todoroki's eyebrow raised slightly. "Didn't you listen as I explained it to you on the warp here?" He asked, exasperated. This girl was easily one of the most airheaded of the sidekicks that he had taken.

"Um! I, uh- well, that is…" She started, blush multiplying rapidly on her face.

Todoroki let out a long sigh. "Do you at least remember the name Bakugo Katsuki?" He checked, not really expecting a positive answer.

To his surprise, the girl nodded. "Yup! We learned about him from Mr. Aizawa, and we saw some of his fights in his Sports Festival. He was really cool, and intense! The fight with you and him was the best one, even though you didn't use your fire! If you did use your fire, though, you probably would've still lost because-" The girl happily rambled, until Todoroki quickly and firmly bonked her once in the head, pausing in his march to do so.

"He was cool during the festival, I will admit. However, do not forget that he became a villain. Regardless, the reason that I asked was because we're being deployed to search for and defeat members of a group that is targeting the man. It's a relatively mundane job for a relatively mundane purpose. With luck, we'll finish with this and be back with the fleet within a day." Todoroki monologued, keeping his eyes forward as he continued moving.

"Creati and I have been dispatched for this very reason. We're to work together and search out any members of this group. Nezu has provided us with potential locations for the villains, although you should expect the first one to be accurate." Todoroki continued, making sure Spyralia was listening. She was staring with an utmost conviction into his eyes, which could mean...anything, really. However, at the mention of Yaoyorozu, her face twisted in intrigue.

"Hey, so I know that this isn't related to the mission or anything, but are the rumors true?" She asked in a hushed whisper.

Todoroki gave her an unamused glance. "Which ones?" He asked dryly. There was no shortage of them at any moment. People tended to dream up the most outlandish scenarios about him. At least once an hour, he was sent a message from an anonymous person telling him that 'you and Deku should just fuck already'. It was honestly getting a bit out of hand with how frequent they were, especially considering the fact that Midoriya's wedding was galactic news for _weeks_.

"You know, the ones about you and Creati! I mean, you two are always together at business events, and you showed up to that one gala as dates and were seen sneaking out together, and you were in the same class in school, and you sat _next to each other_ , and you two always take on big jobs together, and she's the only person you've teamed up with aside from freaking _Deku_ -" Spyralia suddenly cut herself off, blush setting in even further as mortification settled onto her features.

"How did you know that we sat next to each other in class?" Todoroki asked, now slightly alarmed. The amount of information about him that wasn't public was much smaller than the amount that _was_ public.

"Ah, well, you know, I just kind of- well, not really me, a bunch of people on the internet really did the research, even though it was more like guessing, but, um...Well, you see, your last name and hers lined up so that you sat next to her?" She ventured, a look of shame and fear etched into her features.

Todoroki let out a soft sigh. This girl was too quick to embarrass. "It's not surprising. You'll have people like that focusing on you in the future as well. It would serve you well to keep a close grasp on your personal information." He advised in a clear and concise tone.

The blush seemed to get _worse_ , somehow.

"But as for your question, I'm afraid to tell you that my colleague and I are not in a relationship. Neither of us have that kind of time as heroes." He responded, keeping a straight face.

Spyralia's face seemed to fall. "But...there are plenty of people who are married with children and are heroes, right? Deku's with Uravity, and he's the top hero! And then there's Mount Lady and Kamui Woods!" She protested, falling back into pace with him and gesturing wildly with her arms.

Something inside Todoroki was telling him to tell her off for prying into his personal business, but she had a valid point.

"Some heroes have the ability to juggle their lifestyle as well as their work. I simply choose to not do so, and Creati feels the same way. Depending on who you ask, romantic attachments can also be used against you. Be sure that you take all of the factors into consideration before pursuing a relationship. Many families have been torn apart because they lost a hero in battle, and with a Quirk like yours, it can be easy to forget your own mortality in the heat of the moment." Todoroki explained gently, trying his hardest to stay impartial.

Spyralia looked at him in surprise, a look of astonishment etched into her features. Todoroki gave her a soft smile. "You'll figure out exactly how you wish to approach heroics in your own time. It's not something that can be taught. I'll try my hardest to guide you down the path that you feel is best, but the rest is up to you." He told her earnestly, feeling an odd sense of nostalgia for the years when he was too serious to even consider having a conversation like the one that he was having.

"Come. We've reached the teleporter room. Be prepared for a fight at any moment." And just like that, he was playing the role of the number 2 hero again.

Spyralia trailed after him, following behind him with a small sense of wonder. She had been in his ship before, but his ship was still one of the most advanced ones in the galaxy. The _Perfect Harmony_ was a relatively small ship- he could walk from one end to another in a matter of two minutes. However, it sported one of the most compact shield systems in the galaxy and didn't suffer on speed for it. Yaoyorozu's ship, on the other hand, the _Endless Automaton,_ was more focused on flexibility and firepower.

It also had hundreds of repair drones, but that was aside the point.

The two were considered 'sister ships'. Todoroki would often end up attacking quickly and ruthlessly, with Yaoyorozu providing support fire and acting as bait. They were an effective team.

"Ooh, am I gonna get to meet Creati, too?" Spyralia suddenly asked, letting out a small squeal. Todoroki merely stared forward.

"To the planet." Todoroki monotoned to the man operating the teleporter.

"...Right? We'll see Creati, right?"

"...Make it snappy."

* * *

The planet they were sent to was called Sol Aeternum, which seemed quite fitting when considering the nature of the planet. The name translated to 'forever in sunlight', if Todoroki remembered right from his Ancient Languages classes that his father subjected him to. The planet itself was massive, orbited by two very small suns that kept the planet in near-eternal daylight, only letting up for an hour or two at a time.

Because of the overwhelming sunlight, the planet was a tropical one. It was a tourist trap for the rich who wanted to enjoy the sun and the following operation to remove the skin cancer that came with the suns being so close. In all honesty, Todoroki didn't see the appeal. The planet's climate was harsh and there were dangerous creatures dotting the landscape. Mercenaries were often required to patrol property, although Todoroki and Spyralia wouldn't be hindered in their investigation.

The water was very beautiful, however. The planet had that going for it at the very least.

Todoroki already had an idea of where to start his search. There was a large event taking place, one that wasn't entirely legal, but most everyone turned a blind eye to it. After all, it didn't necessarily harm anyone, and it was a profitable business that kept the people happy, and in times like these, that was a necessary boon.

He was speaking of the games, of course.

Races, both on foot and in every form of vehicle imaginable. High-intensity games of tag. Even higher intensity games of hide and seek. Mostly every type of competition was available at these games, and anything and everything went. Quirks, guns, sabotage- so long as no one was permanently injured, it was fair game.

He had gone undercover and participated, once. It was intense. He hadn't managed to win (he lost the debate portion), but he had gotten quite far and it was good, honest fun.

The massive cash prize didn't hurt participation, either.

The planet was tight on security right now. He doubted that anyone who couldn't wave millions of yen around could even hope to get access to the planet. As it stood, the event was high-priority.

If anything happened, it would happen here. He was certain of it, and Nezu agreed. He needed to be vigilant at all times, keeping a close watch on his surroundings and always remaining careful to not be caught by surprise.

Unfortunately, Spyralia didn't seem to share that same sense of duty.

"Woooooow…." She murmured, face pressed against the glass of the VIP booth. Other party-goers were giving her mild looks of contempt, carefully concealing those looks when Todoroki's gaze slid over them.

She was still a child, and thus, he would allow her to act as a child, to an extent. She had to learn control, but she was also young. She hadn't seen what the world would throw her way just yet.

"Champagne, sir?" A waitress with blue hair tied into a neat bun asked kindly from behind him, her black eyes locking with his heterochromatic ones.

Todoroki paused for a second, giving her a small smile in return. "That would be lovely. Thank you." He responded, not allowing his smile to fade as he grabbed a glass.

Letting his attention drift back to the current race taking place, Todoroki raised the glass to his lips, taking a long drink.

"Um, Mr. Cryo Flame? Shouldn't you be more careful with what you drink? Alcohol can create an artificial warmth in the body, which could be regulated by your Quirk, but it'll also affect your balance and it could be poisoned and-" Spyralia began to speak rapidly before Todoroki softly bonked her on the head again.

"I'm very well aware of the effect that alcohol can have on my body. However, it won't be a problem." Todoroki responded easily and casually.

"...But how?" Spyralia asked, glancing at the swirling liquid in his glass with a dumbfounded expression.

Todoroki gave a wan smile. Perhaps he could leave her guessing for as long as possible…?

"You said that you wished to meet Creati, correct?" Todoroki instead deflected the topic of conversation.

"Uh- yeah? But what's that got to-"

"Look at the waitress that gave me this glass." Todoroki instructed, gesturing in her general direction.

Spyralia frowned, scanning the general area. Her eyes landed on the waitress- and she froze.

" _That's Creati!_ " She hissed, eyes suddenly filled with panic. Todoroki smiled.

"Our role is to help prevent any incidents through our presence alone, whereas it is Creati's role to traverse the stands and the different sections of the stadium in search of anyone who might be a threat while she manages to keep a low profile. You'll often find that the simple presence of a hero is a deterrent in and of itself. Very few villains would willingly stage an attack on a crowded stadium with several high-ranking heroes and more mercenaries than you can count. Of course, there may also be villains that wish to fight for this very reason; either to prove their strength or to defeat one particular hero. Don't forget that fact." Todoroki gently lectured, keeping a light look on his face even as the person he was rooting for was losing the race.

"Yeah, I get all of that…" Spyralia trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

"But?"

"But why the hell did Creati give you champagne if you're working?" Spyralia suddenly demanded info, a familiar, determined look entering her eyes.

"Oh, that," Todoroki said with a laugh, "That would be because this is apple juice."

Spyralia froze.

"It's- it's apple juice?" She asked, a look of wonder on her face.

Todoroki nodded. "It's something of a practical joke that we play on each other. We tend to replace anything even mildly alcoholic with something innocuous." He said with a smile, casting a fond look in Yaoyorozu's direction as she handed out glasses of actual champagne to those in attendance.

"I suppose that if someone higher up asked, we could claim that it's a code of some sort, meant to ensure that we are who we say we are." Todoroki mused, swirling his glass dramatically.

Spyralia huffed at him. "That's really irresponsible, you know! Shouldn't you be serious when on these kinds of missions?" She pressured, a frown plastered on her face as she folded her arms.

Todoroki hummed. "You do have a point. This is a high-stakes mission, one that both the top ranking hero himself and the leader of the highest ranked hero school in the galaxy has sent us on. As heroes, it is our job to stay focused and alert at all times." He agreed, nodding along sagely.

Spyralia was quiet as she stared at him expectantly.

"...Yes?" He asked, a smirk quirking just at the edge of his lips.

"Where's the 'but'? I know that I didn't change your mind so easily." His intern questioned, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Hm? Oh, there is nothing of the sort. You are, of course, correct. I'll focus from now on." He promised as sincerely as he could manage.

Spyralia eyed him suspiciously for a long moment before turning her attention back to the races. Within moments, she was completely enthralled again.

 _Yes,_ Todoroki thought, _I suppose it could be quite difficult to focus when something this large is taking place._

And he stuck the seventh toothpick of the night into Spyralia's hair.

* * *

Honestly, it was getting ridiculous at this point.

This girl had fourteen toothpicks in her shoulder-length hair. How none had fallen out and how she hadn't noticed them yet, Todoroki would never know. And she was the one who was chastising _him_ about being unfocused. This would serve as a good lesson in humility, he supposed. The other guests were beginning to notice, as well, so his ruse would only last so long.

It was on toothpick sixteen that she noticed.

"Cryo Flame, sir, look!" She exclaimed, watching the fireworks competition, turning to glance at him rapidly. Almost absent-mindedly, she ran her hands through her hair- and her expression morphed from excitement to confusion and finally to mortification.

"Have you- have I- how long have these been in here?" She exclaimed, the color rapidly draining from her face.

"And why are there so many?" She muttered, running her hands through her hair one more time, shaking her head a bit.

"I started putting them in about two hours ago." Todoroki told her vapidly.

"TWO- Why? Why did you do this?" She moaned, putting her head in her hands.

"You remind me of a porcupine." He responded blandly, not even meeting her eyes.

"A...a porcupine?" She asked wearily.

"You seem harmless and innocent when you're calm, and you're just as dangerous as a porcupine without its quills when you are. However, when you get angry, you hurt the people who tried to hurt you or those you care about." Todoroki responded. His reasoning was, without a shadow of a doubt, flawless.

"But that doesn't explain why you put the toothpicks in my hair!" Spyralia shot back almost instantly.

"Oh. That. I thought it would be funny." He responded easily from where he stood.

"You- I- Gah, you're awful!" She protested, throwing her hands in the air.

Annoyance welled up in Todoroki. He was joking with her, but she still should remember that he was the hero and she the intern, not the other way around.

"Perhaps if you wish to not look like a porcupine next time, you should focus, no?" Todoroki quipped back, his eyes hardening. Spyralia turned to him, ready to protest further- and she met his eyes.

Any protests that she may have had died in her throat, and her eyes instantly widened, panic setting into her features clear as day. This time, it wasn't in worry that she'd upset him, or whatever other reason she had for her panic- this looked genuine. She was genuinely afraid of him in that one split second.

Instead of saying anything, she lowered her head, shuffled her feet slightly, and mumbled, "Yes, sir."

Todoroki blinked once, all of his annoyance fading in an instant. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong-

And someone jostled against him, giving him a small 'sorry' over their shoulder. He cast an annoyed look over his shoulder at them, but they were already gone.

He turned back to Spyralia, but her moment of weakness was already gone. She was watching the races again, looking more detached that ever before.

"Spyralia-" He began, feeling concern well up in him for his intern.

"Don't ask." She said shortly.

"I wasn't going to. I simply wished to offer advice." He proposed gently.

Spyralia gave him a look that spoke of so much more than he wished to admit that he recognized. Desperation, annoyance, _despair_ -

And yet, he couldn't do anything about it. Whatever this girl was suffering through, she wouldn't tell him- or perhaps, couldn't. Either way, this wasn't the time or place to confront her about it. He wasn't the best at recognizing and directly addressing emotional problems. That was more of Midoriya's comfort zone. It was the one skill that his father could never have taught him, assuming he had stuck around long enough, and that was simply because it was something that the man himself didn't possess.

"There will always be those that wish to hurt you, in more ways than one. No matter who you are, no matter where you come from, you will always find an enemy. And, just like I've taught you, there's more than one way to fight an enemy."

"You're strong, but you're still just a kid. You have limitless potential in you- the potential to be exactly who _you_ want to be, and no one else. You can become the hero that you want to be, or you can become the mercenary that you want to be, or the bodyguard, or the model. You choose your own path in life. Not anyone else. You have the power to do exactly as you wish. My job is to help you realize how to use it." Todoroki finished, keeping a close eye on her the whole time.

Spyralia was a good kid. She was smart, strong, and resourceful. But she could also be hot-headed and prideful. He could see how she would admire Bakugo.

Whatever was going on that had her so afraid of him looking even remotely angry, it wasn't something that she deserved. And yet, it wasn't his place to ask, and most of all, it wasn't his place to help.

As heartless as it was, this was something that she had to figure out on her own. He could offer her a lifeline- tell her that he had connections at U.A, and would be willing to help out if she needed it. He could do that in a moment, and if it was a family problem, whisk her from the situation in an instant.

And yet, there was something in her that told him that this wasn't what she would learn the most from.

He couldn't teach her if he had that attachment. Not the same way that he taught the rest. If there was anything that he had learned, it was those that could return from the depths of despair and come out on top that were the strongest. It was a risky game that he was playing, he knew, but…

If he took her from it, then she wouldn't end up nearly as strong as she could be.

And he couldn't take that freedom from her. If the situation came around and he were presented with the opportunity, then he would help her. However, it would have to be something that she did on her own. If she could recover from whatever experience she had and take action, then she would be in a league of her own.

If it was something that she managed, then she would outclass even him. She might take his spot in a flash if he wasn't careful.

These were the thoughts that coursed through Todoroki's head. His brain was a flurry of motion, wondering how he could help without deterring her.

"Hey," she began, voice unsteady.

"You're a hero...but you don't always have to save everyone, ya know?" She pointed out, voice steadily gaining power, even as she refused to meet his eyes.

Todoroki was quiet for a long moment, looking at his apprentice, puzzled. Letting out a long sigh, he put his hands in his pockets, looking up to the ceiling above them. It was decorated with moving stars, using some of the finest hologram tech this side of the galaxy.

Todoroki froze when he felt something in his pocket. Something that hadn't originally been there.

Quickly taking the object out, he noted that it was simple, easy-to-obtain paper, the type that any citizen could buy in bulk.

Todoroki's eyes widened as he quickly unfolded the paper, eyes scanning the contents. It was a simple note, only one sentence.

 _Todoroki Shouto, meet me in the woods behind the stadium, in the large clearing._

No info beyond that. Simply a request to meet, and one that was completely vague. It had been a while since he had fought a group this straightforward. It was a wonder that they'd even managed to get themselves labelled as a threat.

"Spyralia. We have work to do." Todoroki ordered, watching his apprentice carefully. She turned, confused, only to meet his eyes and become serious.

"Right!"

* * *

Todoroki walked casually, hands in his pockets. The area wasn't hard to find. It was an open clearing in the woods, a decent distance in. They wouldn't be heard here. He had told Yaoyorozu where he was going and left without fanfare.

He leaned his head back, looking up at the sky. His hair was getting long, he noticed. He would need to get it cut soon. There was someone good at it on the _One for All,_ but he preferred this nice shop back on Musutafu. They always got his hair just how he wanted it.

Clean, crisp footsteps broke him from his idle thoughts, and he glanced back down in front of him.

A woman stood in front of him, with flowing red hair and a perfectly modest dress. Her eyes were a deep shade of green, and even from the large space between them, he could see her malice.

"Todoroki Shouto...how nice of you to appear. I've been waiting for you." She uttered, voice smooth and controlled. If he were anyone else, he probably could have said that it was seductive.

"I'm sure that you know who I am. You are on this planet just to defeat me, are you not? My, what a devoted boy...So uptight, so focused on the job. Have you never wished to take a load off, enjoy yourself?" The woman asked, stalking closer to Todoroki.

 _Maybe I'll have soba for dinner tonight. I haven't treated myself in a while._ Todoroki thought idly.

He blinked, focusing back on his opponent. She was still talking.

"...after all, you are the number two hero. Shouldn't you be allowed-" The woman rambled, words cutting short as Todoroki's arm swept forward.

In the blink of an eye, an ice spike was protruding from the woman's stomach, and she looked down in shock.

Todoroki's eyes narrowed. "Just as I thought."

The woman disintegrated, and Todoroki turned around leisurely, arm raised with a thin sheet of ice covering it that worked as an armor. An arm crashed down on his armor, which held fast, and Todoroki found himself staring down the same woman from before, albeit mildly less attractive.

The woman jumped back as ice quickly began to spread on her arm, meeting his eyes with an enraged look.

"How perceptive of you, Cryo Flame. I should have known that surprise attacks would have failed." The woman spat, her left arm igniting into flames and melting the ice. Todoroki raised an eyebrow. _So there_ _ **are**_ _two of them._

"You may call me Vesta. I've been wanting to test myself against a powerful opponent for quite some time now. Bakugo Katsuki may be our target, but we've been given express orders from Jupiter to defend ourselves if need be." Vesta declared, a ball of crackling flame forming in her hands.

And...there.

Ice shot up Vesta's legs, encasing her before she could do anything. She looked down, surprised-

And Todoroki's fist, wreathed in flame in the form of a fist, crashed into her face, sending her flying and breaking the ice. She slammed into a tree, collapsing onto the ground and unsteadily attempting to stand up.

"I don't have the time to waste on villains who chatter my ear off with talking. I've dealt with your type before, and you all always say the same things with different words." Todoroki monotoned, leering down at Vesta imperiously.

The woman pulled herself to her feet, faltering when she met Todoroki's eyes.

"You know...Todoroki Shouto...Fire only makes me stronger." Vesta breathed out, determination in her eyes.

She moved in a flash, and Todoroki let out another sigh.

 _It would have been better if you had just stayed down._

" _ **Absolute Zero.**_ "

Todoroki's world became blue.

* * *

Spyralia watched Cryo Flame from a distance as he dealt with the villain. He'd told her to not get involved, but it was hard not to! Just thinking about a villain got her blood pumping and her fists yearning for battle, or something cool like that!

Still, though, there was no denying that it was probably better that she didn't fight. That villain...she was really fast. Faster than Spyralia could keep up with. She hadn't even seen Cryo Flame move when he'd blocked her attack, and he'd gone even faster when he attacked. That was just something that had to be built up with time, she guessed.

But when the villain had stood up, and moved...In a single moment, Spyralia had gone from watching a fight to watching an icicle almost stab her in the eye. A giant, jagged ball of ice had sprouted almost out of thin air.

She jumped back, completely startled, almost falling off of her tree branch.

 _This ice...It's Cryo Flame's, but it doesn't look the same. And why is it doing that?_

Spyralia was afraid to even touch it. It was a deep blue, and what looked like steam was rolling off of it in waves.

"Is this...How cold is this ice?" She wondered aloud.

Quickly, she rummaged around in the side pocket of her hero suit, pulling out a small tube of recovery gel. This stuff was apparently really hard to store because of how hard it was to get cold, so depending on how it reacted…

Spyralia lathered a small amount of the gel onto her hand, flicking it at the icicle.

She watched, with a slight amount of horror, as it instantly became a brittle chunk of ice.

 _Just... how strong is he? How...how could anyone hope to catch up to_ _ **this?**_

And then, another chilling thought crossed her mind.

 _What would happen to us if he were a villain?_

 _Could anyone even take him down?_

Spyralia shuddered, moving away from the wall. It was nice to feel cool air, but this was too much.

Cryo Flame had won. That much was certain. And with power like that, he always would.

* * *

Todoroki let out a breath, the vapors in his breath turning instantly into a fine mist in front of him.

His fire side burned hotly, the only thing keeping him from hypothermia. Exploding all the power of his Absolute Zero in one go always overwhelmed him. The same went for Hellflame. He much preferred the powers in moderation, where it was easy to regulate and even more deadly.

 _Spyralia...Was she caught in this? I don't believe so. She should have been far enough away._ Todoroki wondered, looking at the ice surrounding him.

 _Now...There's no one to stop me._ Todoroki thought, staring his captive opponent down.

Only Vesta's head was visible. Fire was sprouting in erratic bursts around her, most likely the only thing keeping her alive.

Todoroki raised his right hand, grasping Vesta's head in a firm grip.

"It burns, doesn't it?" He asked, voice completely level.

Todoroki forced her to look at him. Her eyes had completely lost all fight- they were dull. Broken.

"Your body came into direct contact with ice at absolute zero. Your cells are dying. If you don't receive emergency care within the next half hour, your entire body will be paralyzed from the cold. The longer you spend in the ice, the shorter that time becomes." Todoroki told her, voice completely steady and remorseless.

"Tell me about Jupiter. Everything."

Vesta was quiet, mouth attempting to make noise.

Ice spread from Todoroki's hand, and she cried out in pain.

"I'm a hero, not a messiah. There are bigger fish than you. I'm not afraid to leave you for dead. Even if you don't talk, your companion may not be as mentally strong." Todoroki warned, grasping her head more tightly.

"...Power...He can't...Lose." Vesta rasped, coughing once.

"Electric...Quirk. Framed…" Vesta continued, teeth chattering incessantly. Her eyes unfocused for a second, and Todoroki brought his left hand to her head, applying a shock of warmth through her system.

"Bakugo...must die...for him to...be immortal." Vesta rasped, barely able to string the sentence together.

"What does Bakugo have that's so important? What's his plan?" Todoroki pushed, looking for an answer.

"...Don't...know…" Vesta gasped one final time before her head slumped. Todoroki grit his teeth.

In one blast from his fire, Vesta was freed, and Todoroki got to work on heating her body up, placing his left hand near her heart.

Todoroki pressed a button on his comm. "Momo, my target, Vesta, has been subdued. How is yours coming along?" He asked, looking around at his ice.

" _I've found her. Engaging now."_ Momo responded after a short moment.

Todoroki grinned softly. "Good luck."

* * *

Yaoyorozu clicked her comm off, turning her attention back to the foe at hand, who she was spying on from a tree a good distance away. The woman herself was pacing back and forth, wringing her hands together. Her green hair was swaying in the wind.

Both of them realized what had happened. It was very hard to miss the sudden explosion of ice. Yaoyorozu believed it to be overkill, but she trusted that Todoroki was making the correct decisions.

She wasn't sure what this woman's Quirk was. However, because she was allowing Vesta to attack, that could mean one of several things: Vesta was stronger, this woman played a supporting role, they had split up to fight different opponents, or this woman's Quirk wouldn't be effective against Todoroki's.

No matter what, Yaoyorozu could take advantage of that.

Thoughts flew through her head- different battle strategies and ideas came to the forefront of her mind, each one analyzed and discarded at a moment's notice.

Finally, she settled on one- flexible enough to change depending on the Quirk, but versatile enough to be useful regardless of what her opponent did as a reaction.

Taking in a deep breath, she decided to make the first move, creating the first object that she would need. Her eyes flitted around to her surroundings, viewing the environment with an analytical eye before she decided on the best course of movement.

Her plan, in the end, truly was simple. She decided to call it the Checkmate Gambit.

Her first action was to throw ninja stars at her opponent's feet. A simple method of either disabling her opponent or forcing them to move.

The woman jumped back a moment before Yaoyorozu's weapons hit her, almost stumbling off of her feet. Yaoyorozu grinned. This was good.

Pushing off of the tree she had attacked from with a single hand, Yaoyorozu jumped to another tree, this one closer, and threw another pair of ninja stars at her opponent's midriff. Yet again, it was trivial whether or not these actually hit her opponent. This was simply a test.

Roots shot out from her opponent's feet, embedding themselves into the ground, and Yaoyorozu blinked in surprise.

A giant fist made of earth shot out from in front of the woman, knocking the stars out of the air.

"You're a brutish woman, attacking without preamble in this manner! Do you have any idea who I am? I am Juno, of the Council!" The woman boasted, previous worry vanished as she manipulated more dirt, attacking Yaoyorozu as she jumped from tree to tree with fists of earth.

Yaoyorozu glanced down at the trees, noting that they seemed to be relatively unharmed. Her eyes narrowed.

Her plan wasn't quite finished yet. She still needed a few more creations.

As she jumped to another neighboring tree, several small capsules popped out of her arms. She nimbly caught each one, hurling them at her opponent only for each one to be crushed by her opponent's Quirk. Chemical formulas flew through her mind with her opponents every action.

Smirking, Yaoyorozu jumped down from the tree she stood on, slipping right below another fist, which she carefully tapped before it returned back to the dirt below her opponent's feet.

Another fist shot out from below Juno, this one roughly grabbing Yaoyorozu. She winced, but remained relatively still.

"I've finally caught you. What hidden tricks can save you now, Creati? You weren't on the kill list, but for what you've done to me, I might just consider it." Juno hissed from where she was twenty feet away.

Yaoyorozu tilted her head. "You aren't very aware of your surroundings, are you?" She asked, bemused.

Juno blinked once before her eyes shot down to the ground beneath her.

And with the click of a button, the ground around Juno exploded, and with a single extension of Yaoyorozu's arms, the dirt that was firmly holding her collapsed.

Quickly vaulting over the quickly crumbling earth, Yaoyorozu reached Juno, creating a sheet of metal and sliding it under her feet while she slapped a pair of handcuffs onto both her feet and hands.

When the smoke cleared, Juno was completely immobilized with heavy weights holding down her hands and feet that Yaoyorozu had made in seconds.

Yaoyorozu turned on her comms. "Shouto, I eliminated my target, Juno. I believe that our mission here is a success."

" _Good. We can leave as soon as the day is over, then. From Nezu's calculations, no one else should show their face here."_

Juno, from below her, rasped, "How?"

Yaoyorozu blinked. "I'll talk to you later, Shouto. Let me finish up here. Creati, out." She said with a sigh.

" _Understood. Cryo Flame, out."_ And with that, the conversation was ended.

Yaoyorozu turned her attention back to Juno, her lips quirking up into a smile.

"Really, it was quite easy to get the jump on you. Most opponents would have figured out some of my plan before it fully went into effect."

"The entire time you were attacking me from a distance, I was throwing stars embedded with a low-power explosive at your feet. These stars were coated with a protective coating which allowed air into it, and the stars themselves were also coated with hydrofluoric acid which melted the dirt beneath them and allowed them to sink into the ground. Because of the nature of your Quirk, you simply never noticed."

"As I jumped from tree to tree, I implanted a capsule with a highly acidic substance into the bark, which your Quirk broke open again and again. The more acidic the soil, the more soluble some of its key elements are. Just before I jumped down, I threw a large amount of capsules filled with water at you. These helped weaken the dirt just enough for me to break open the dirt that was holding me and reach you in time."

"However, even if that failed, I made sure to implant a small explosive into one of the fists of earth that you created. That way, even if I was unable to break free of your dirt, or if you modified the properties of it somehow, I could still break free. It wasn't necessary." Yaoyorozu finished explaining, watching with a small sense of satisfaction as Juno's eyes widened more and more.

"Now, let's get you to the police station. They'll know what to do with you."

* * *

Todoroki clicked _Send_ on the joint report that Yaoyorozu and him created on what had happened on Sol Aeternum. He leaned back, letting out a loud yawn as Yaoyorozu did the same. She had been slowly eating snacks all afternoon in an attempt to replenish her body's natural supply of fat for her Quirk, and with a full stomach, she was no doubt getting the urge to sleep.

"You can go back to your ship. I still have something that I need to do here." Todoroki murmured quietly, rubbing his eyes.

Yaoyorozu blinked at him. "Are you sure? I could probably help you." She offered, an earnest look decorating her eyes.

Todoroki shook his head. "No, this is something that I should do on my own." He reassured her, giving her a small smile.

Yaoyorozu tilted her head, giving him her patented 'I'm worried about you but I trust you enough to let you make your own decisions' look.

...It probably didn't say good things about him that he could instantly recognize that look.

"Alright. Just comm me when you're done." She murmured, pulling herself to her feet.

Todoroki left a few minutes after she did, taking a moment to review everything.

This planet wouldn't be anything more than another stop on his way, but he wanted to remember it as its own place, special and unique.

He would be able to do that in a single moment. There was something more important that he had to handle first.

It didn't take long to find her.

Night had fallen by now, though Todoroki knew that it wouldn't last for very long. He'd been searching for Spyralia for about fifteen minutes already, and he got the feeling that sunrise wasn't too far off.

He'd gone searching for the most scenic place possible. He felt like he would find her there.

She was sitting on a tree stump, arms wrapped around her legs as she stared wistfully into a gently cascading waterfall, small enough to not make much noise but large enough to still create quite the sight.

She didn't say anything as he approached. Out of respect for her, he did the same.

He stood beside her for a long moment, staring at the waterfall as well, searching for whatever it was she was staring at.

"You had me worried, you know." Todoroki monotoned, carefully gauging her reaction. She didn't say anything for a long few seconds.

"I'm sorry." Spyralia choked out, pain in her voice.

"Don't apologize to me. I'm not the greatest with emotions, but a blind man could see that you're hurting right now. There's nothing to be sorry for." Todoroki reassured, hoping that she could accept what he was saying.

"It's just...U.A was supposed to be a new start for me, you know? I'd be able to be more independent, live at the dorms, fight bad guys...But today, I saw you fight that villain. I couldn't even keep up with what was going on. How am I supposed to be a hero if I can't fight the villains that attack us?" Spyralia asked quietly.

Todoroki was quiet for a moment. "Being a hero isn't only about strength. You can be the strongest man in the world while being an awful hero. Do you understand?" He asked, looking Spyralia in the eyes. She blinked, looking confused.

"The reason that Deku is the top hero is because his presence reassures people that they will be safe. It's the same quality that All Might had." He explained, looking out towards the waterfall.

"Strength will come to you in time. If you base yourself, who is just a beginner, off of me, who is a pro, then you will always fall short. Do you understand? Just become the hero that you want to be, and you will find your own peace."

He gave out advice only when he thought that someone needed it. He'd given advice to Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Midoriya. Each and every time, it had roused them into action. He hoped that it happened the same way here.

"Thank you…" Spyralia whispered, just a small whisper among the crash of water.

Todoroki gave a small grunt of acknowledgement. "Come on. We have to get back to the ship. Creati is waiting on us." He told her, still holding a patient expression.

And just like that, her mood seemed to lift somewhat. "I get to meet Creati?" She asked hopefully.

Todoroki nodded. "Yeah, I'll let you meet Creati. But we have to get off this planet first. Now, let's go."

The walk back to where the _Perfect Harmony_ had docked was an excited one for Spyralia, and a mostly exasperated one for Todoroki, mainly because his mind was elsewhere.

There was something that he couldn't quite shake. Some piece of evidence that he was sure that he'd missed. Something that just wasn't adding up.

 _Bakugo...Why do these people want you dead so badly?_

* * *

Bakugo awoke from his nap to the sound of the ship rumbling.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked blearily, eyes scanning the controls as his mind struggled to keep up.

"An asteroid field, looks like. Weird. Didn't even see this on the way over." Egg-Head supplied helpfully.

"How the hell didn't you see this?!" Bakugo snarled, quickly taking up the controls and barely dodging a large asteroid that would have scraped away their shields.

"I didn't see where you were going, and it should have been in the beacon info! I didn't think you would run into one!" Scotch defended, raising his hands in surrender.

"Wha- there wasn't shit about a hazard in the beacon info! Are you fucking lying to me!" Bakugo yelled, barely swerving around another asteroid. "And get to your places! We don't have time for this! Raccoon Eyes, I want you to shoot down any asteroids that come too close! I know you're not the same as a defense drone, but make an effort, damn it!" Bakugo snarled, feeling very pissed about this turn of events.

"On it!" Raccoon Eyes gave an affirmative, scrambling up from the floor where the rest of the idiots were playing cards and running into the hallway. Shitty Hair and Pikachu followed suit, urgency in their steps even as they made some kind of joke about dinosaurs.

"Wait- there wasn't anything in the beacon info? But I could have sworn…" Egg-Head trailed off, looking confused as he settled into the chair that governed the sensors.

"It doesn't matter now. If you didn't know, then you didn't fucking know. We don't have time to argue the semantics. We just need to get the hell out of here. Any stray asteroid will fuck this ship up beyond repair." Bakugo noted, eyes glancing warily around as he weaved the ship through danger.

Two lasers fired out from the top of their ship, destroying an asteroid that had slipped past Bakugo's field of view.

" _Got your back, Captain!"_ Raccoon Eyes' cheery voice came over his comm.

Bakugo growled back a quick thanks, and the deadly game of dodging began anew.

 _Something's wrong here...I haven't seen any asteroid miners. This field isn't particularly dangerous for most ships, and fields like these can hold a lot of valuable ore._

Bakugo swiftly pulled the ship into a roll, avoiding a large asteroid. His eyes were still scanning the area when Egg-Head spoke up.

"Hey, Bakugo, you might want to look at this!" Egg-Head almost shouted over the sound of the engines as Bakugo forced the ship forward to pass through a gap in between two large asteroids.

"What is it, Egg-Head? Kinda busy here!" Bakugo growled as a small hail of rocks pelted off of the shields.

"Here, let me show you. You're gonna want to see this for yourself." He assured Bakugo, voice nervous.

A screen popped up in Bakugo's peripheral vision, and he swung his head around in annoyance.

"What the hell are you…" Bakugo trailed off, staring at the screen.

Alongside a scan of the area which told him there were seven ships in the general area, one of them a Heavy Cruiser class ship, there was also the beacon information.

There was apparently supposed to be a planet here.

There was no planet here.

What _was_ here was a large asteroid field, unlisted in the beacon information.

Something in Bakugo's soul that was previously left untainted by rage was lost to the never-ending abyss that was his anger.

"Kaminari...Kirishima...Ashido...and Sero…" Bakugo said, his thoughts aligned in only one pattern.

" _Uh-"_

"We're going to FUCKING KILL THESE ASSHOLES!" Bakugo roared, an almighty rage filling him.

Nothing would stop him. Not now.

Not when these assholes had destroyed what had once been a planet, full of life, full of hopes. Not when these assholes had so callously ended the lives of so many.

Not when the only thing that had the power to destroy a planet had come from _him._

* * *

 **And that's a wrap for chapter 8- Of Fire, Ice, and Hope!**

 **Once again, sorry for the delay. I kinda lost my will to write for a while. School and work was kicking my ass, and once I got thrown off of my flow, it was really hard to just pick up the story again and write. More than once during this chapter, I found myself wondering if I was writing the characters how I wanted them to be written. However, now that school is over for summer, I'll be back with more frequent updates. Plus, now that Endeavor is getting some solid action in the manga, it's giving me another point of reference for how high-level battles will go. Contrary to how most people feel, I actually like the development he's getting and look forward to seeing how he turns out.**

 **But, I digress. Anyways, in this chapter, two more members of the Roman council were defeated, and Bakugo Katsuki gives in to his rage. In the next chapter, a startling revelation is made and the crew of the** _ **Ground Zero**_ **is in for the fight of their life.**


	9. The Title of 'Hero'

**An Explosive Arbiter**

 **Chapter 9: The Title of 'Hero'**

" _Bakugo! Your actions for the past several years have been utterly reprehensible and rash! You should consider the consequences of your actions before making life-changing decisions in the manner that you did!"_

" _Can it, Glasses. You're the last goddamn person I want to hear this shit from on this ship. Just fucking talking to you is giving me a headache."_

" _You must be more careful with your words! If someone with much worse intentions for you were standing where I was, your situation would worsen by the second!"_

" _Hah? And just what_ _ **are**_ _your 'intentions', Glasses? Always_ did _wonder if you swung that way."_

" _Bakugo, there is no need to attempt to goad me! I simply wish for you to return to society as a better man."_

 _Bakugo snorted and rolled back over._

 _Glasses stayed for five more minutes, ranting, before he realized that Bakugo wasn't listening anymore._

 _He let out a long sigh. "Bakugo...Your tenacity and endurance were something that I admired. I've fought many villains since you left, and none could fight quite like you. I've visited U.A recently, and your Sports Festival clips were used as reference for battle strategy. We don't need you to be a hero, but...we do need help."_

 _Bakugo flipped him off, and after a long moment, metal boots could be heard clanking their way down the hallway._

* * *

 _Consider the consequences of my actions, huh, Glasses? Sorry, but the only thing that matters right now is making these motherfuckers pay._

"Ashido, be ready on that goddamn laser. Be ready to shoot down missiles."

" _Bakugo, what's going on? Who are we fighting?"_

"Sero, what are they flying?" Bakugo growled, his rage making him forget the nickname entirely.

"Uh...Rebel flags, it looks like! Yeah, one of them is a Red Tail. Old model. Should we really be fighting these guys, though? One of those is a _Heavy Cruiser_ class." Sero warned, sounding nervous.

And he had a right to be nervous. A _Heavy Cruiser_ class ship was a single step down from the size of the Rebel flagship that the Kestrelfought all those years ago, and the Kestrel had far fucking more upgrades. Not to mention, that was a one-on-one battle; there were six more ships lying in wait for them.

Bakugo Katsuki knew all of this, and yet he still was going to fight.

"We're fighting Rebels, then. Be ready. These assholes were the ones who made this asteroid field. There used to be a _goddamned planet_ here. They brought a fucking Nova Bomb, so they could have fucking _anything_." Bakugo warned, eyes trained and searching for the first flash of orange.

" _Wait, they can blow up a planet with this bomb? How did they even make it? How is it even legal?"_ Kaminari asked, panic obvious.

"Did you not fucking pay attention in school? I'll fucking tell you later, after we kill these bastards." Bakugo snarled, red eyes wide and hungry.

" _How are we even going to_ do _that? Didn't Sero say that there were seven ships?"_ Kirishima asked, worry laced in his voice.

"We're not going to kill all seven of these motherfuckers. We don't need to. We just need to be the _bait_." Bakugo roared, a sadistic smile crossing his face.

" _What do you mean by that…?"_ Mina moaned, worried.

A flash of orange caught his eyes, and Bakugo's anticipation skyrocketed.

" _Let's fucking GO!"_ Bakugo roared, firing the engines forwards.

Combat in space wasn't even fucking close to planetside aerial combat. An ace pilot on the ground would be completely out of his element if he tried to use all of the same tricks in space. In this case, getting above his opponent was optimal. Rebel ships were built with their guns facing forwards and on top of heavily armored plating, which meant that they couldn't aim down or up. The _Ground Zero_ was built the same way, which meant that the best strategy was a dive from above, transitioning into a chase.

He would need to use the asteroid field to his advantage. In open space, his ship would be gunned down in a matter of seconds. At such a disadvantage, Bakugo was certain that victory would have been almost impossible to attain. However, in an asteroid field, that situation changed drastically. Asteroid fields were special in that it became a game of cat and mouse just trying to catch a ship. Pilots had to juggle avoiding asteroids, chasing an enemy ship, and making sure their ship's guns were in a proper range to hit that enemy ship.

With seven ships, it would be difficult but not impossible to avoid them.

And Bakugo Katsuki was all about making the impossible happen.

" _Firing!"_ Ashido's voice crackled as the Burst Laser perched on their ship fired off two shots of deadly energy, travelling through the small distance of empty space only to fizzle out into nothingness against the superior shields.

An attempt to open a comm channel was made by the Rebels. Bakugo opted to ignore the small screen in the corner of his vision, slamming a fist down on the _DECLINE_ option.

"Kaminari, I want those engines to be at peak performance at all times! If we stall even fucking once, I'm going back there and beating your ass!" Bakugo yelled into the omm as the enemy Rebel ship began turning their way.

It wasn't the _Heavy Cruiser_ class ship. Not yet. This was one of the older models, the Red Tail. In the end, it didn't really matter which ship was chasing them, though. All that mattered was keeping their attention here, on them, for just long enough.

"Kirishima, I want those shields to be running at all times! We're going to be taking damage no matter what happens out here!" Bakugo barked out another order, eyes scanning the rapidly moving asteroid field, searching for a way through.

" _On it, Bakugo! You can count on me!"_ Kirishima's voice cheerfully registered through the comms. Bakugo grunted in reply.

"Sero, keep that display running! I need to know what the hell these bastards are doing at all times!" Bakugo ordered, dipping the ship at a narrow, dangerous dive and barely avoiding a small hail of laser fire.

 _Burst Laser Mark V… These ships are old, but damn it if they aren't equipped well. That level of laser requires a lot of power, though, which means…_

"Ashido! These assholes are relying on just one weapon! I'll take care of the asteroids. You focus on hitting those assholes! Aim for the front of the ship and the shields will fall to pieces!" Bakugo roared.

As he spoke, a red blip appeared on the sensor screen, and Bakugo narrowly veered, bringing the ship in a rapid roll that brung them in a full rotation, barely dodging a missile as he did so.

"Damn...Ignore that order! There's a new asshole attacking us from above!"

" _Don't worry, Bakugo, I was already planning on ignoring that order."_ Ashido responded, and Bakugo could just fucking _hear_ the smirk in her voice.

He snorted. "Fuck you too, Raccoon Eyes." He shot back mindlessly, almost entirely focused on the battle at hand.

An enemy behind him, and an enemy above. Two ships, both of them capable of outclassing him. And yet, Bakugo Katsuki could still say that he was winning.

"Two ships have warped away! It's only five-to-one now!" Sero announced, voice shaky and full of sarcastic joy.

" _Aw, come on, Sero, live a little! It's not every day that you get chased through an asteroid field by a group of insane rebels who- you know, the longer I think about it, the worse this sounds_." Kaminari said, coming to the realization much, much later than he should have.

"Focus on the damn engines, Kaminari!" Bakugo snarled, kicking the engines into overdrive in order to shift the ship in a hard left bank in order to dodge the raining laser fire. Bakugo's eyes shifted, taking focus on the ship above him.

One more missile flew past him...and the constant stream of them stopped.

Bakugo's eyes widened, and his tongue darted out to lick his lips.

Bakugo pulled the ship up in a harsh climb, weaving through asteroids. A laser impacted on their shields, and it dropped. A second later, two more lasers hit the ship, causing the entire ship to rumble.

"Status report!" Bakugo roared, pulling the ship into a flip, levelling the ship out before pulling into a sharp dive, staring straight down into the face of the Red-Tail.

" _Firing!"_ Ashido yelled, just as Sero yelled, "Engines damaged!"

Two lasers landed, both near the middle of the shields of the Red Tail.

The shield dropped on the first one, and the second one landed on the engine room.

A large smirk crossed Bakugo's face as the engines on the enemy ship stalled, and the Red Tail crashed.

Right into a large asteroid.

"...One ship down! It's now four to one!" Sero announced, sounding mildly amazed. Damn straight.

" _WHOO! No idea what's going on out there_ _, but whoo!"_ Kirishima cheered.

Bakugo's smirk faltered slightly when his eyes flicked over to the sensor display.

"KAMINARI! GET THOSE DAMN ENGINES RUNNING!" Bakugo roared.

There was another salvo of missiles on the way.

Twenty of them.

And on top of that, he could see two other ships coming out of the woodworks.

" _I'm trying! That laser hit something important!"_ Kaminari yelled back, his voice garbled like something was in his mouth.

"I'm on it! Be right back!" Sero volunteered, flying up from his seat and disappearing into the hallway.

Bakugo grit his teeth. He couldn't direct the ship with its engines gone, but it still kept its speed. The missiles were on a perfect path to land on his ship, and the ship that fired them, a more modern Red Tail, was rapidly descending on them. The type of the missiles themselves didn't matter- if they landed, the _Ground Zero_ would explode.

" _Firing!"_ Ashido declared, and two lasers shot out, one hitting a missile and one going wide. Bakugo grit his teeth. In all honesty, she should have saved the shot.

Seconds ticked by, and slowly, Bakugo's unease grew.

" _Got it!"_ Kaminari said over the comms, just as the engines flicked back to life.

Without bothering to respond, Bakugo pulled on the controls, pulling the ship away from the deadly barrage mere seconds before their ship was pulverized into something that someone would find floating in the air of a deep-city bar.

" _Whoa, don't jostle the engines that much just out of the gate! It's a patch job at best. I'm gonna get it back to normal in a sec, just be a bit more careful!"_ Kaminari pleaded.

"We don't have the TIME to be careful! If you didn't already know, we're under heavy fire here!" Bakugo spat, jostling slightly as the ship was hit by a laser from an enemy ship.

" _Ah!"_ Ashido suddenly cried, and Bakugo's worry spiked. He couldn't afford to be without weapons. Not right now.

Sero slid back into his seat and threw his headset on just as Kirishima yelled _"Mina, are you alright?"_

" _Grr...I'm fine! Just got jostled a bit! I can keep going!"_ She reassured, and Bakugo had to take her word for it. He didn't have any other choice. One of the ships was descending on them, letting loose a constant stream of laser fire that was coming from several smaller laser guns, while the missile ship was probably reloading for another salvo, and-

Where was the other ship?

Bakugo's eyes widened, and he threw the ship into a sudden dive through a group of clustered asteroids.

Out where he was, the asteroids were getting thinner. He had to bring the fight back more. It was risky, but the bigger ships would be a lot more susceptible to the huge chunks of space rocks in comparison to his smaller ship.

Bakugo pulled the ship into a tight spin, barely avoiding colliding with a group of asteroids. Missiles screeched through the air around them, travelling almost faster than he could react to. Almost. He had enough time to pull the ship's starboard side upwards in order to avoid a missile that would have decimated their ship.

"Ashido, clear a path in front of us!" Bakugo commanded sharply, eyes scanning the area. There was another ship around here, one that he knew that he was missing. Did the bastard have cloaking?

Their Burst Laser fired ahead of them, destroying a large asteroid and breaking it into many smaller pieces, one of which protected them from a laser and several of which bounced off of their shields, making them fall.

Bakugo grit his teeth. This wasn't good. The Heavy Cruiser class ship was still lurking ominously somewhere in this asteroid field, and there was an unaccounted for ship. If he wasn't damn careful, they would be fucked.

Something flickered in front of them, and a ship appeared from seemingly nowhere.

 _Shit._

They were cornered.

Several ion blasts erupted from the ship in front of them, and at their distance, no amount of fancy flying would protect them. They slammed into the ship, and Bakugo let out a grunt of pain as electricity coursed through his body.

His vision flickered for a second as he tried to regain his bearings. Ion blasts fucking _hurt_ , especially when they came from a particularly strong weapon.

Bakugo shook his head, focusing back on the battle. "Look alive! What systems are down, Sero?" Egg-head himself seemed to just now be coming out of his own daze.

"Uhh...Looks like everything but the engines and shields. Thought that the engines got hit, too, but I ain't complaining." Sero muttered, despair creeping back up on him.

Bakugo eyed his controls warily. He didn't want to risk touching them as they fizzed with electricity. He would just have to wait it out, unfortunately.

" _I kept our engines moving by absorbing the electricity. Don't really know how many times I can do it before I short out, though."_ Kaminari updated him, sounding a bit worried and dazed.

" _I'll be fine over here! I can keep moving!"_ Ashido told him breathily. Bakugo's eyes narrowed. He couldn't check on her, but from the sounds of it, she wasn't doing very well.

Bakugo forced his attention back to the battle at hand. He couldn't pilot for a moment, which meant that they were dead in the water for now.

" _The shields need a bit of work! I'm fixing them now, but it'll be a moment! Something hit us in that barrage!"_ Finally, Kirishima's voice came in loud and clear.

Bakugo grit his teeth. _Damn…_

This wouldn't be the end, but it definitely didn't look good. There just wasn't anything he could do right now, damn it! He fucking _hated_ feeling defenseless.

"Damn it, there's gotta be something I can do!" Sero muttered to himself, fists tightly clenched. Bakugo could see him glance towards the console for a moment, just in his peripheral vision.

"I'm not dying here!" He suddenly proclaimed, bending his arm at a sharp angle. Sero's arm emitted a whirring sound as tape shot out of it to stick sharply to the console, and the ion electricity greedily jumped through the sticky substance to course through Sero.

Sero's back arched in pain, and a strangled cry erupted from Bakugo's new crewmate.

Bakugo's eyes widened slightly, and he looked back down at the controls. They were free to use now. That debilitating electricity was no longer a hazard.

A mixture of emotions crossed through Bakugo, emotions that he couldn't identify and didn't even consider acknowledging, all of which resulted in his face contorting awkwardly into something vaguely resembling a smirk.

"You idiot…" Bakugo muttered under his breath, finally grabbing the reins once more.

Their ship, once more, avoided certain doom from a stream of laser fire as Bakugo quickly and carefully maneuvered them deeper into the asteroid field, putting all engines on full throttle.

A minute slowly passed- but for Bakugo, it might as well have been an hour. He was focused, more so than he'd had to be in a space battle thus far. It was making him break out in a light sweat, the adrenaline and blood roaring through his ears at every near-miss and every command that was snarled out. He'd come to miss this, he realized. It had been so, so long since he had felt a real, tangible challenge in space that he was only now realizing how rusty he was getting.

With only one layer of shields, one mistake was paramount to death. A stray asteroid bouncing on their shields once would drop them, and if that happened again before the shields came back, they were taking hull damage. If he were at peak condition, back before Tartarus, then his shields wouldn't have dropped once on this chase of theirs, but now, they had dropped six times.

Another minute passed. The enemy ships were getting frantic- they sensed their own artificial timer as much as Bakugo did. They probably could have just left him well enough alone, but now that he had destroyed one of their ships, it was a matter of pride. They couldn't just _let_ this unnamed Federation ship get away from under their noses.

The more frantic the Rebels got, the more confident the crew of the _Ground Zero_ became. Uneasy calls of status became quick, well-defined reports telling him exactly what was going on if something was going wrong. Even Bakugo's strangled smirk had grown into a confident smirk, with several layers of anger protecting another, smaller smirk.

The only thing that was making him uneasy was the lack of a Heavy Cruiser. He knew it was floating around this asteroid field somewhere- he just goddamn knew it. You don't just _hide_ a ship that size. It wasn't going to be his problem soon, though.

"Cap'n, we're running out of real estate! The asteroids end soon!" Sero warned, panic starting to creep back into his voice.

That sort of worry was useless. Why panic when they had already won?

"It's smooth sailing from here on. Don't let these bastards get the drop on us, but we're almost done here" Bakugo said, tone leaving no room for argument.

"...But how do you-!" Sero suddenly paused at the very same second that status reports began to fly across his screen.

"We've got reports of several large ships warping in! It looks like it's... more Rebels." Sero said, any tone of cheerfulness dropping from his voice almost instantly.

Collectively, groans could be heard across the comms.

"Transmission for you…" Sero said, face down on the sensor's console, sounding almost depressed.

Without saying a word, Bakugo accepted the transmission, just as the final ship warped into existence.

The ship eclipsed the asteroid field and, more importantly, their own ship. Sero let out a choked cry, even as Ashido let out a cry of _"What is THAT!"_

The transmission came through, and Bakugo was left staring into the eyes of someone damned by heroes and villains alike.

Endeavor, flaming mask of fire burning bright over his missing eye, stared down at him with a neutral expression.

"Took you long enough, bastard." Bakugo spat, glaring at the man over double his age even as Sero made frantic motions in the background for him to stop.

"Bakugo Katsuki. Somehow, I'm not surprised to find you involved in this." Endeavor said, letting out a small sigh. He seemed to age a few years in a single moment.

"You think I'm fucking involved with these assholes! I just held the bastards here for you! You might as well be the fucking police for how useful you are!" Bakugo growled, bucking his ship to the right to avoid a laser which fizzed out of existence against the vastly superior shields of the _Dreadnought_ class _Hellflame._

Endeavor narrowed his eyes, his gaze threatening. Bakugo felt like he was being sized up, judged before his senior. He fucking hated the feeling.

"Hey, are you going to just fucking stare at me all day, or are you going to actually help? I know that that bastard Deku talked with you, so these guys were just looking to frame you. Hah?" Bakugo threatened, feeling the first seed of doubt grow in his mind.

Suddenly, Endeavor spoke.

"Open fire on all ships except for that tiny Federation ship. Raze this asteroid field to dust if you must. I want these ships destroyed!" Endeavor barked, the Rebels in the background moving to action with startling speed.

Almost immediately, a salvo of missiles, ion blasts, lasers, the entire arsenal, fired, all of which flew past his ship in a calculated manner. Bakugo was almost impressed. The Rebels knew what they were doing.

"Young Bakugo. If you truly did not have involvement with these traitors, then I suggest that you leave the area. I can't guarantee that my men will miss forever." Endeavor told him, just before the transmission cut off.

The threat was clear- _leave, or I will kill you._

"Alright, you heard the man, lets-" Bakugo started, turning around to look at Sero.

Bakugo cut himself off when he saw Sero huddled into a ball in his chair.

"I'm travelling with a madman. Should've just stayed on the planet. Anything would be better than this…" Sero muttered to himself.

"Damn it, Egg-head! Get your head out of your ass and start focusing!" Bakugo roared, explosions crackling in the palms of his hands.

Sero quickly jumped up. "Right, right, uh, got it! Um...there's not really any beacons near here!" He warned Bakugo as he threw his comms back in his ear.

"The hell do you mean there's no beacons near here!"

"It means what I said! There must be some kind of interference, or scrambler. The entire starmap is going haywire!"

Bakugo bit his lip as his eye twitched.

"Alright, fuck it! We're blind jumping! Kaminari, how are our engines?"

" _Uhhh….They're stable enough, I guess. But I really don't think this is a good idea. I don't want to die today."_ Kaminari told him, sounding concerned.

""Good enough for me! Let's FUCKING GO!" Bakugo roared.

"Wait, what do you mean we're blind jumping, Bakugo?" Kirishima asked, a huge spike in worry from his normal tone.

Before anyone else could voice their opinions, the stars around them zipped by, and they entered hyperspace.

Bakugo let out an explosive sigh, slumping in his seat and slowly letting go of the controls. His hands had been clenched tightly around them; nitroglycerin coated them.

The door behind him opened, and a frazzled Pikachu stumbled out, collapsing into one of the open seats.

"Thank god that's over with. You would not _believe_ the stuff I went through in there." Pikachu said wearily, his eyes somewhat crossed as he stared at the ceiling.

The door opened again, and Shitty Hair and Raccoon Eyes made their way into the room, with Shitty Hair supporting Raccoon Eyes. The red-haired half-Rock gingerly eased Raccoon Eyes onto their improvised bed, with every movement being careful.

"Raccoon Eyes, what the hell happened back there?" Bakugo asked warily, keeping an eye on her.

"I was thrown into the side of the ship from one of the blasts. Didn't really hurt at the time, but…" Raccoon Eyes trailed off, sucking in air as Shitty Hair gingerly lifted the side of her shirt.

A huge, nasty bruise had already begun to form along her side, various patches of green and purple standing out against the pink of her skin.

"Guess I won't be dancing for a bit, huh?" Raccoon Eyes laughed humorously, her breathing slightly labored.

 _That's gotta hurt like a bitch._

"Mina, are you going to be alright? This isn't something to just shrug off, you know. You got hurt, and bad." Shitty Hair stressed, gingerly pressing a single finger onto the bruise. Raccoon Eyes' eyes scrunched up in pain at the simple action.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm really starting to feel it. I think I'll be alright soon...maybe." Raccoon Eyes tried to reassure them, but it was shaky at best.

"Fuck's sake. Egg-head, wrap some tape around her. Not too tight. We don't need a goddamn mummy walking around here. Shitty Hair, get some ice in a few bags and put it over the tape. We need to get the swelling down. Raccoon Eyes, hope you're settled in for the long haul, because you're not moving a goddamn muscle until that's in better shape." Bakugo quickly ordered, remembering some basic first aid that he picked up over a long time of collecting his own bruises.

Shitty Hair nodded, making his way over to their mini-fridge, while Egg-head started to wrap up Raccoon Eyes' chest. Bakugo stood up himself, stretching for a moment before grabbing one of the pillows on the ground and propping it under her chest.

"Can't we do a bit more for it? It seems kinda wrong to just leave it like that." Pikachu pointed out. Bakugo was about to snap at him for not even helping, but he saw the weariness in Pikachu's eyes. The adrenaline was starting to wear off for him, and earlier than the rest of them. Pikachu looked like he was running on fumes, and given what he'd done in there, Bakugo could at least understand why.

"Not right now, aside from these." Bakugo grabbed their small bottle of painkillers, tossing it to Shitty Hair.

"Give her two or three of these. What's in there is what we have, so don't fucking overdo it. It's not top of the line shit, either- it'll help with the swelling and make it hurt less at best. It's no fucking recovery gel." Bakugo snapped, settling into the captain's seat again.

Raccoon Eyes looked a bit surprised, for some fucking reason.

The entire bridge was either directly helping her or keeping an eye on her. It wasn't all that different from normal, if Bakugo were being honest. Shitty Hair and her were practically joined at the hip, she and Pikachu were friends, and even Bakugo wasn't a total stranger. There was no goddamn reason for her to look like she was on the verge of tears.

"W-wow, Bakugo, didn't think you had it in you." Raccoon Eyes stuttered out, wiping at her eyes.

Bakugo snorted. "What, helping you? I'm only an asshole to people who deserve it."

"But you're an asshole to everyone." Pikachu said plaintively, raising a finger in the air.

Bakugo glared at him.

"Right, point taken." Pikachu coughed into his hands, averting his eyes.

Bakugo let out a long sigh. "Anyway," he began again, completely ignoring Pikachu's existence, "just because I'm not the nicest guy around doesn't mean that I'm not going to help you fuckers. You're my goddamn crew. It's the duty of the captain to make sure that his ship can always work at its absolute best, which is what I expect from you fuckers. The very goddamn second you're feeling good enough to man those weapons, I want you on 'em, got it! There are no slackers in my crew!" Bakugo roared, slamming a fist into his chest with a small explosion to accentuate his point.

 _That,_ at the very least, was enough to make her stop crying, thank fucking god. Now, she just had an all-knowing smirk on her face, the one that Deku used to put on when he got a plan. He fucking hated that smirk.

"Right, so it was just about the ship, huh? Then why were you calling us by name earlier, huh?" She asked smugly.

Bakugo's right hand slammed into his left with an explosion. "Don't push your luck, Raccoon Eyes. That was a one-time thing. I was more pissed than I've ever been before. I wasn't seeing straight." He growled threateningly.

"Because they blew up the planet, right?" Shitty Hair asked quietly as he finished setting ice along Raccoon Eyes' side.

Bakugo was quiet for a second. "...Yeah." He said in a low voice.

"How did they even get their hands on something that strong? I mean, even the _One for All_ doesn't have that kind of firepower, and from what I saw, those guys weren't Rebels or Federation." Pikachu asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

Bakugo was quiet for a moment before he realized that all of the eyes in the room were on him, even Egg-head's, who was busy wrapping Raccoon Eyes.

Bakugo let out a sigh. "Far as I know, there are only a few of 'em in the galaxy, and for a good reason- both the Feds and the Rebels agreed that it was way too fucking dangerous to just be throwing around that kind of power. There was one at Tartarus to be used if there was a prison break, which obviously never went off. It was why I was hell-bent to get off that damn rock as soon as possible. They probably stole that one." Bakugo explained, feeling like that covered most of it.

"I'm not a gambling man, but I'd put my money on this being personal for you, Blasty." Egg-head suddenly spoke up without stopping what he was doing. Bakugo's eye twitched.

"Most people would be upset that these guys destroyed a planet, yeah, because that's a lot of people dead for no reason. But you got _mad_ \- more than you have in the time I've seen you. Now, I may just not know you very well, but I'd say that you have some connection to it, yeah?" Egg-head continued, sounding sure of himself.

"Hey, man, you can't just go around asking stuff like that! It's not the manly thing to do! Let him-" Shitty Hair started to speak and defend Bakugo before a loud explosion rippled through the small space of the compartment.

"Kirishima. I don't need you to talk for me, got it?" Bakugo warned, not entirely aggressively, as red eyes met red eyes.

"If you really want to know, then I'll fucking tell you. Yeah, it was personal. That kind of power doesn't just come out of nowhere. There needs to be a transfer, a buildup, _something_ to make it happen. Energy can't just be fucking made out of nothing. Those bombs were a fucking eldritch combination of Quirks." Bakugo spoke, voice dangerously low. His entire body had gone still.

"What...what do you mean?" Raccoon Eyes spoke up quietly.

"Seven years ago, some scientist in a backwater planet in the Outer Rim managed to figure out how to replicate the effects of any Quirk using his own. The man made fucking billions, but it wasn't useful until _Hatsume fucking Mei_ came around and figured out how to improve it and make it actually useful. See, the science didn't do jack shit in a practical setting. What Gadgets over there did was make it so that Quirks could be used in an every day setting by every day people. It's basically the dawn of a fucking new age. Hearing problems? Fucking eradicated. You get hurt? Recovery gel, made straight from U.A's own Recovery Girl. Hell, with a DNA sample big enough, you could replicate it to hell and back for thousands of years as long as it was alive." Bakugo essentially spat, hands clenched. The bridge had gone deathly silent, as though even the stars that they passed were listening to him.

"But...what does that have to do with the bombs?" Pikachu asked, his face slightly pale. Good. They needed to understand just how important this was.

"Those bombs had seventeen Quirks in them. One Compression Quirk. Ten different types of Enhancer Quirks. Three different Barrier types. Two Conversion types. And finally...One Explosion Quirk." Bakugo rattled off the information, the pure anger in his head making his vision blurry.

Bakugo didn't bother looking at any of the people in front of him. He wasn't sure how he would react if he had to see the pity in their eyes. The fear that he knew he would see there.

"My Quirk works by producing nitroglycerin sweat in the palms of my hands. The Enhancer Quirks made it happen in the blink of an eye, and they made it happen _bigger_. Then, the Conversion Quirks turned that nitroglycerin into an even more explosive compound. The Compression Quirk came from one of the League of Villains members. I like to call him Captain Asshat. Fucking hate that asshole. He's probably out of Tartarus by now, but he was captured just before they started it. That Quirk of his compounded all of that explosive power into marbles, which were then covered by the Barrier Quirks to make sure it would get through the atmosphere." Bakugo continued, feeling his anger slowly beginning to fade into apathy.

"In ten seconds, one of those bombs had enough power to destroy any goddamn planet in the galaxy. After thirty, you were probably getting its neighbors, too." Bakugo spat, feeling his rage slowly build.

"So yeah, it's fucking personal. I've wanted to kill the bastard who made it ever since I heard that it existed, but Endeavor beat me to the punch. I can't even fucking destroy any of them because they're too goddamn unstable! It's pissed me off for the past five years, and now some asshole with no goddamn idea of the value of life has gone and fucked up a planet with one, and it's all my goddamn fault! I didn't even get to kill the bastard because I'm not strong enough! Damn it! GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!" Bakugo roared, slamming a hand down on the console, panting heavily as his anger overwhelmed him again, curling in his gut like an insidious snake.

Bakugo moved his gaze back up to the people in the room, eyes broiling with hate.

And before he could even register than anything else was happening, he was enveloped in a tight hug. Pointy red hair filled the left side of his vision.

Kirishima began to speak, voice barely steady, as though it was him who was at fault.

"You're one of the most manly people that I've even known. You couldn't have known that this would happen. None of this was your fault, you hear? I know that if you had any chance to fix this, you would have gone marching right in and fixed it, just like that. But you don't have to hold the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders, you know? We're all here for you. We'll help you out as much as we can. I'll say it again, none of this was your fault." Shitty Hair whispered, although with the silence of the bridge, it was clear for all of them to hear.

Bakugo was limp in Shitty Hair's grip. His tired eyes slowly passed over each member of his crew. Egg-head looked guilty, guilty for even asking, guilty for bringing the topic up. It wasn't his fault. Raccoon Eyes had silent tears running down her cheeks, and a hand was covering her mouth as pity filled her eyes, as though she was to blame. She wasn't. Pikachu couldn't even meet his gaze, but he looked...sad. So, so sad. It was a wasted feeling, wasted on him.

So much was wrong with their shitty galaxy. People endlessly quarrelled over petty, useless things. The heroes could barely do anything to protect their people. Quirks ruling the entire galaxy, entire planets worth of people placed below the heel of another because he had been born lucky. People died for nothing more than the amusement of another. An entire planet, gone, because he hadn't been strong enough.

All Might, dead, because he hadn't been strong enough.

... _Aizawa...I think I'm starting to understand you more now._

 _What it means to be a true hero...I still don't know what it is. But I think I'm starting to understand a bit more now._

It was here, being held in a bone-crushing embrace by one of his crew- one of his _friends_ \- that Bakugo Katsuki truly wondered, for the first time, if he had ever been worth the title of 'hero', even to just one, single person.

Does that title even mean anything, if he was the type of person who could hold it?

He didn't save people. His power was a destructive one, just like his personality. He fought people. He fought everyone. He was brash. He was arrogant. He was cruel. He broke people, just to see them broken. Could someone have all of those traits, and be a hero?

He thought of Deku's fearful eyes as he scrambled away from him.

He thought of Uraraka's determined expression as she raced towards him, desperate to prove herself, desperate to fight a monster and come out on top.

He thought of Todoroki's lost expression as his fire fizzled away into nothing.

He thought of Endeavor, battered and broken under a Nomu, missing an eye and yet coming out victorious. He thought of All Might, crumbling to his knees after his fight. He thought of every Pro Hero that he had fought, every person that had stood in his path.

Was he anything like them? Was power really all that was needed in this galaxy?

His mind said _no, you're nothing like them. You're a monster._

And yet, Kirishima's voice in his ear, speaking increasingly worried reassurances, told him that _yes, he just might be a hero, someone to be admired._

The people in front of him...He'd come to care for them, in some sort of strange way. It had been so long since he'd had _anyone_ by his side. A friend. Someone he could rely on. And, from the looks of things, everyone else here was the same way.

He'd never thought that he would ever be in this situation. He wouldn't have even let it happen a month ago.

These people had fought alongside him. They'd all just survived a life-threatening situation. There was a certain sense of trust, one that Bakugo hadn't felt in years.

Bakugo was afraid to trust them. He was afraid that, one day, one of them would walk out onto a battlefield for him and they wouldn't make it off of it. He was afraid that they would trust him, in the same manner. He wasn't anything like them. He was different, and they wouldn't understand until they died because of one of his secrets. They almost had already.

Bakugo's hand settled over his heart.

He wouldn't let that happen. He couldn't. He'd become attached now, damn it, and he had to look out for them. After everything they had gone through, he couldn't let these idiots just go and die.

Even Sero. He'd been dubious about him at the start, but he could honestly say that the man was good at what he did. He had a useful Quirk, and he was a nice, if not very smart, person. Just like the rest of them.

He wanted them to make it. He wanted to win against All For One, and he wanted everything to just be over. He'd been fighting for eight years. He wanted to rest, damn it.

"Kirishima… I'm alright. You can let go." Bakugo said quietly.

Not a single tear had fallen, through all of that. Had he been younger, he wouldn't have been able to handle even a single strike to his pride. It was a testament to how far he'd come that he could manage to keep his face neutral.

Slowly, Kirishima let go of him, a worried look plastered on his face. "You sure, man? It's alright if you want to talk to us about it. Sharing your feelings is one of the most manly things you can do!" Kirishima weakly tried to joke, rubbing the back of his head.

A thin smile worked its way onto his face. "Fuck off, Shitty Hair. And don't you dare say shit about this. This never fucking happened, got it!" He yelled at the rest of them, although his heart wasn't really in it. Either way, it had the intended effect- Raccoon Eyes let out a shuddering laugh, Egg-head relaxed and gave a small smile in return, and the tension fled from Pikachu's shoulders as the despair slowly melted from his expression.

"Right. Got it. Lips are sealed." Egg-head joked.

"They better fucking be. That goes for you too, Raccoon Eyes. Don't go flapping your gums about this to anyone." Bakugo warned, pointing a threatening finger at the woman in question.

She let out another laugh, more composed this time, and managed to look him in the eyes, despite the awkward angle."When have I ever let you down?" She asked rhetorically, her body slowly settling down after the emotional rollercoaster.

"Hey, what about me? Can I tell anyone?" Pikachu slid up to him, throwing an arm around his shoulder mockingly.

Bakugo snorted. "If you remember that this even happened tomorrow, then I'll fucking tell the galaxy myself." He slapped the back of Pikachu's head, who recoiled and rolled on the ground in a gross exaggeration of pain.

"Ow, Mom, Bakugo hit me!" Pikachu complained with a shit-eating grin to Kirishima, who rolled his eyes and sat down.

The mood was...lighter, to say the least. Everyone was calmer. No one looked like they were about to run from the room.

As for Bakugo himself?

He'd made a decision.

Before, he didn't have any plans for what he wanted to do after fighting All For One. He wouldn't need money after the deed, so there was no point in returning to his previous ways.

But with these people, he could build something up. A life. Something for him to be genuinely proud of, something that wasn't just his skill in battle or flying or in his Quirk.

He would win, and he would twist fate so that even a monster like himself could have a future worth living for.

That was his starting line.

* * *

Izuku Midoriya's mouth was set in a hard line as the _One For All_ warped to the place where the planet named Sol Aeternum once stood.

This was the work of a Nova Bomb. One of four remaining in the galaxy- one of which was on his very ship. The one used here had been stolen from Tartarus, and it had been a worry of his for quite some time. Of all the places to bomb, however, this had been the least of his worries. It was a populated planet, to be sure, but there was no tactical advantage in it. The attack had been orchestrated by the League for no apparent purpose.

The races that had been held here were supposed to be finishing up soon. There were less people killed than there would have been, but the death toll was still staggering. This incident couldn't have been avoided, but the media would descend upon him like vultures, attacking the heroes like no tomorrow.

The only good takeaway from this was that Todoroki and Yaoyorozu hadn't been on planet when it happened- it had been a few hours after they warped away.

Their communications officer stood, drawing Midoriya's attention to her. "Sir, we have a-"

"Patch him through." Midoriya said quietly. He didn't need to be told who was contacting him. Even without any sensors, the _Hellflame_ could still be easily seen, it's massive, overbearing presence overshadowing anything else in the area.

Endeavor's face filled his vision, and Midoriya was suddenly reminded as to why he didn't like talking to him. Something about Endeavor always unnerved him- whether it be the looming presence, the knowledge of what he did to Todoroki, or the long scar sustained in a battle that may have decided the fate of the galaxy, one that left him with a single eye.

"Deku. You're late. I've already dealt with the enemies here. Use that new tech of yours and find the ones that fled." Endeavor ordered, a menacing look crossing his face.

Deku nodded. He didn't bother asking how Endeavor knew about it.

"You heard him. Begin tracing those warps." Deku ordered. This was one of the best leads they had gotten, despite the cost.

Deku turned his attention back to his console, flitting through reports. He needed to keep his emotions tightly under control right now. He could be emotional later. But for now, he needed to be the leader that the others expected him to be.

It was only after a few moments that he realized that the comm channel was still open.

His eyes unwillingly flitted up to meet Endeavor's once more. "Was there something else that you needed?" He asked, somewhat impatiently.

He was expecting him to ask for Todoroki. Endeavor had stubbornly avoided asking about his son in previous meetings, but Deku figured that it wouldn't be long until that changed.

"You just missed someone that we know. Bakugo Katsuki. He warped away around two hours ago." Endeavor spoke begrudgingly. Midoriya's eyes widened.

"Kacchan was here?" He asked. That...didn't make much sense. Why would he even be here? Kacchan wasn't the type of person to even care about all this, as little as Midoriya wanted to admit it.

"They would have escaped if not for him. Of all the people to be fighting a group of villains, I didn't expect it to be him, let alone in that dingy old ship." Endeavor admitted.

Midoriya's mind was whirring at a million miles a minute. Kacchan was the one who kept them here? But...but why? That didn't fit at all with his personality, unless they made him mad. Why would he care about this?

"Just thought you should know. He was the latest warp, so I didn't want you chasing shadows. I trust that you can focus on the mission." Endeavor said conversationally, although the implications were clear. _There's more important things than him right now. You have to focus on what's happening now and what you can do._

Midoriya let out a shaky sigh- and the mask of Deku, the commander of the Federation army had returned.

"Understood."

He would focus on the mission, and he wouldn't get distracted.

That's what you would do, isn't it, Kacchan?

* * *

 **And that's a wrap for chapter 9! Hope you enjoyed. This was probably my favorite one to write so far. A lot of stuff happened in this one, and I enjoyed writing some good character interaction as well.**

 **We're starting to get into the thick of things now. Bakugo is getting closer to Terra Ultima, and with more and more villain activity, the heroes are going to be a bit more busy, too.**

 **The plot is finally going to start chugging along at a faster pace now, so there's going to be some more action.**

 **Sorry that the chapter is a little shorter than the others. I didn't want to extend it out and ruin any emotional impact.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Anonymuss45, signing out.**


	10. Crystallized Power

**An Explosive Arbiter**

 **Chapter 10- Crystallized Power**

* * *

Bakugo Katsuki stared intently at the viewscreen, counting down the seconds until they reached the end of their jump.

They had made a blind jump into space- an incredibly risky and borderline suicidal move. You could end up anywhere, and in deep space like this, that wasn't a good thing. There were dangers galore in different parts of space, and when you didn't know where you were jumping, you could run into any number of them. Bakugo had heard a story in his travels where a small fleet of ships jumped blindly and had their entire crew decimated by a space virus.

He wasn't the only one feeling the pressure. The bridge of the ship was filled with a charged, tense atmosphere. Kirishima's face was set in a small frown, and he kept fidgeting. Raccoon Eyes kept glancing between the viewscreen and Bakugo. Pikachu's legs were kicked up on their makeshift bed next to Raccoon Eyes, but that didn't mean that he wasn't anxious- rather, he seemed the most worried out of all of them, gnawing on his bottom lip. Egg-head had a long face, one that seemed filled with resignation.

Everyone wanted to break the silence, but none of them knew what to say. Bakugo had never been good with shit like this. He wasn't the type of person that could build up the confidence of other people. He had no idea how to help them.

The tense feeling lasted an agonizingly long time. There were mere minutes left until they arrived, but it felt like it was going to be years. The feeling felt like it was strangling Bakugo, coiling up in his gut and making a home there. He couldn't make eye contact with any of them.

If they died, it was going to be his fault. No one said it, but he knew it to be true.

The timer struck five minutes, and finally, Bakugo couldn't handle it anymore. "Fuck this, I'm going to go check on the systems." He said, shooting to his feet and walking towards the door.

"But, Bakugo, didn't you…" Raccoon Eyes trailed off as Bakugo slammed the door behind him. He'd checked the systems two hours ago, and an hour before that. All of them were fine. He didn't have the materials to do any upgrades, but they were all fine.

Bakugo closed the door to the shields behind him, letting out a deep sigh and leaning against it. His head thunked against the door, letting out a small sound that echoed in the small room.

Times like these made him understand why his mom would sometimes drink a bit after a long day. The shitty old hag wasn't anything close to an alcoholic, but from what she said, it took the edge off. He could really go for something to do just that right about now. The expectations of those in the bridge and his anxieties that held a chokehold over him...they were festering, and in such a small ship, he felt confined, only able to do so much.

A minute passed before Bakugo pushed off of the door. His thoughts were lazily swirling around, unable to be shaken and causing his hands to shake with empty rage. Almost robotically, he began to check on the shields.

" _The first thing to do when making sure that shields are functioning is to check the power core. The energy from the reactor runs straight to this, and it's what powers the shields. It's also the most volatile, and if it explodes, your ship will be badly damaged and without shields. It's a death sentence. However, to counteract this, these are also the most protected part of any ship. Anyone can operate shields, but only someone trained can access and fix this part of a ship."_

Thank god for Power Loader's class. That was the one class that he could easily say that he learned the most in.

They'd all been taught how to open it up and check on it safely. It wasn't too difficult- just a simple code input on the console. But Bakugo was barely paying attention to his own actions, mindlessly pressing the buttons. It was a therapeutic action, meant solely to take his mind off of the situation at hand.

Bakugo systematically ran through the procedure for checking on a system. Everything was running at max capacity, with some minor fluctuations from the last two times he checked. It was exactly as he expected and nothing else.

Sighing, Bakugo sat down on the floor and simply stared at the blue, whirring shields. This was one of the most isolated parts on any ship. The people who worked here had no idea what was going on in the rest of the ship save for what was said over the comms, and even those could be hectic at best and useless at worst.

He hated working in here. It wasn't meant for him. He was the type to be on the front lines at all times, seeing what was going on and reacting to it, giving orders. He liked being in control.

Behind him, the door creaked, and Pikachu stepped in, a pensive look on his face.

"Hey, we've dropped out of warp. You should...really come see this." Pikachu said, looking behind him,somewhat worried.

A pit dropped in Bakugo's stomach, but he nodded and stood.

Pikachu walked ahead of him, and for once, Bakugo didn't complain.

Opening the door to the bridge, Bakugo immediately saw why they had brought him in. All three of the idiots, aside from Pikachu, glanced at him, then immediately turned their attention back to the viewscreen.

They had warped to what appeared to be an empty section of space, save for some asteroids floating around. On the starmap, they weren't even in a listed location, just somewhere in the Rock Homeworlds.

Bakugo's breath caught in his throat. He knew exactly where they were.

In front of them, swirling among the asteroids, was a portal, of sorts. Even Bakugo didn't know how this one worked, but he had heard stories of it, possible explanations of how it functioned.

Even if he didn't know how it worked, he knew where it lead.

They had found the portal to the Crystal sector.

"Just to be clear, we're all seeing the same thing, right?" Pikachu asked, a tone of worry hidden in his subdued voice.

"It's been, like… 500 years, right? Ever since the last Crystal died? And the portal's been open...all that time?" Kirishima asked quietly, a sense of awe on his face. With his Rock heritage, it probably felt a bit like coming home.

"It's like finding remnants of a lost civilization or something…" Egg-head said in awe.

"That's exactly what it is, you dunce." Raccoon Eyes said with an unimpressed voice. Egg-head looked thoroughly crushed. It was almost enough to lift Bakugo's spirits.

The room was silent as they all stared at the inviting, yet ominous portal.

"Should we...should we go in? I mean, it feels like we're walking on sacred grounds, but we're also probably the first people to find this since the Kestrel. I mean, if we brought back an artifact, we could become rich." Pikachu spoke up, saying what most of them were probably thinking.

"We don't have a choice. We have to go through." Bakugo spoke, and all the eyes in the ship were on him.

"If we don't, we won't make it to Terra Ultima in time. We've lost too much damn time with this detour. Besides, this thing only appears every now and then, and it seems to be random. If we don't go through, it may well be another five hundred years before it's found again." Bakugo rationalized, staring into the swirling vortex.

Even despite this, his hands felt cold and clammy, and not in the good, normal way. He was...nervous.

Pikachu's face softened. "Well, in that case, guide us in. We just need to go through it, right? No warp needed?" Pikachu asked in confirmation, eyeing the portal warily.

"Yeah. I mean, I think." Bakugo said quietly, walking forwards and sliding into the captain's chair.

"You think, or you know? This could do anything to our ship. I've never gone through a portal before, but it can't be fun. The people on the Kestrel had better _everything_ than us." Egg-head pointed out, raising a finger in the air.

"I know, dumbass. We'll be fine. It works like a wormhole, except you don't get torn to pieces if you try to leave early because of how quick it is." Bakugo snapped, feeling his anger rise quickly.

"How would you know that, though?" Raccoon Eyes asked, eyes narrowed, and Bakugo felt like hissing.

"It fucking- it was in the log of the Kestrel. It was required reading in school." Bakugo spat back.

"But I finished school, and I've never even read that log. I thought it wasn't even public. Something about it having classified information." Egg-head pointed out, a suspicious look entering his eyes.

"We read a censored version of it. It didn't have the fucking important shit, like the Federation fleet info." Bakugo shot back.

"Why would the captain keep the fleet info in his personal log? Isn't that kind of thing reserved for the ship's confidential stores? The captain's log can be read by anyone who gets to it." Kirishima pointed out, a glint of suspicion entering even his eyes.

"You- GAH! Fucking- fine. You really want to know that badly? I've been in this thing before. Fucking happy?" Bakugo spat, shoulders hunched over and gripping the controls tighter than he needed to.

Kirishima inhaled sharply, and Raccoon Eyes made a surprised noise that sounded like she was dying.

"I did a bit of bounty hunting before I moved to thievery, maybe five, six years ago, and I chased a high priority target through this portal. I killed him when I got to him, which was against my contract, so it was a massive waste of time." Bakugo told them with a deep sigh.

"So...you've found it twice now? How cool is that? You're literally the only person _ever_ to do that! That's so manly!" Kirishima roared, pumping a fist, and Bakugo gave him an incredulous look.

"Yeah! You're like, the only person, aside from us in a minute here, who will have even seen this! What was it like, so we have an idea?" Pikachu asked excitedly, getting up close to Bakugo.

"Back off, Pikachu," Bakugo started, pushing his face away with a single hand, "and it wasn't much special. I didn't really take time to sightsee. It was like most sectors. Had some badass planets in it, but I passed by most of them." Bakugo said, trying to remember back to that time. It had happened pretty quick, with a good amount of it spent in a firefight. He had landed on a planet, fought the bastard, and then got the hell out of dodge afterwards, when the aftermath of what he'd done hit him.

"So we're still pretty much going in blind?" Pikachu asked.

"Not exactly. There are still planets, but they're contained. Most of them are either barren of most kinds of life or primordial. We'll just be in and out. We'll make a stop at a planet if and _only_ if we have to." Bakugo warned.

"Aw, Bakugo, this is like the find of the century! Where's the harm in stopping? We're gonna be in the sector for a while, anyways. We might as well make a few pit stops. Besides, it's not like anyone's really been on these planets in years. We could find some _really_ valuable historic stuff and sell it!" Kirishima encouraged, pumping one arm.

"Is money the only thing you idiots think about?" Bakugo asked wearily.

"Have you seen our ship?" Pikachu countered.

"I had to work as a waitress on a space station. I've never been rolling in cash." Raccoon Eyes pointed out.

"My ship got stolen when I tried to do a good thing for someone else. I'm still bitter about that. I want to get paid for my trouble." Egg-head said, an annoyed look crossing his eyes.

"Imagine how many dumbbells I could buy!" Kirishima said, eyes almost shining.

"I feel like that one's not as important, but the thought is there, Kiri." Raccoon Eyes joked, a slightly strained smile on her face.

"Hey, it's important! Becoming stronger to protect my friends is the essence of being a man! If I can't even help all of you, then I've got no right to call myself a man!" Kirishima declared passionately, his face set in determination.

"Yeah, that's all fine and good, but I still want a ship, so get in line." Egg-head quipped back at him, an easy-going smile on his face.

"Alright, alright, fucking fine. We stop at _one_ planet. No more. We'll grab something important, maybe take a few pictures, and we leave. The longer we stick around here, the more time All For One has to get to Terra Ultima." Bakugo warned, his eyes narrowing. Egg-head shuddered slightly, and the rest just looked slightly uncomfortable, having enough time to get used to the fact that they would have to deal with All For One.

"...Right, point taken. If we find this place again later, though, we have to explore more." Egg-head said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"Sure. Whatever. I wouldn't count on it if I were you, though. But, if your dumb ass somehow manages to find it again, then by all means, go run around in the flower fields all damn day." Bakugo grumbled, turning his attention back to the controls.

"Man, Bakugo, what's got you in a bad mood? Bad memories?" Kirishima asked, a sympathetic lilt to his voice.

Bakugo grunted and shot him a glare, but didn't respond.

"Come on, it'll be like a fun field trip! We get to go to dangerous planets, steal some ancient artifacts, walk on the bones of a long-dead race...What's not to love?" Pikachu said jokingly, a snarky smile resting easily on his face.

"Fuck you too, Pikachu." Bakugo shot back, putting some speed on the engines. The ship slowly moved forwards, drifting towards the ever-present, swirling portal.

A small, pervasive silence slowly settled over the group as their ship chugged along . towards the portal. Bakugo's jaw clenched painfully.

He closed his eyes, and their ship passed through the portal.

Within moments, after a small rocking of the ship, they were on the other side.

Bakugo opened his eyes, and he was greeted with a familiar sight.

The Crystal sector was one that very few people had ever laid their eyes on, and yet for those who had, they could easily claim that it was one of the most beautiful. The stars that pervaded the vast expanse of space in the background were constant, glittering spots in his line of sight, creating a beautiful mosaic of color that was amazing and yet not out of the ordinary; it was something that could be seen from anywhere. But this wasn't what made it stand out, although it didn't hurt.

No, what made the Crystal sector beautiful was the planets.

Bakugo wasn't joking when he said that the planets were either primordial or barren, but most of them were primordial. The planets in this specific cluster, however, weren't what the Federation would call 'planets'.

No, these were moons. Bright, blue orbs, hanging around in space, making lazy orbits around small suns. It was a miracle that they hadn't been pulled into the gravitational pulls of the others, given how close they were. At each moon, another could be seen, a titanic mass of blue or a dusty sphere of brown or any type of planet imaginable off in the distance.

It wasn't a sight that could be seen anywhere else in the galaxy. Most worlds were self-contained; you were at one planet and the most you would see of another would be a slightly brighter spark in the sky. Not this sector, though. It was picture-perfect, something you would see on a fucking postcard.

It made Bakugo uncomfortable, for some unshakeable reason. He could recognize that it held a certain appeal, but if something went wrong with the gravity of all of these planets, then there would be no escape. They would collapse, explode, and probably bring the entire sector with it.

That was why Bakugo had been hesitant, among other reasons. The sector had survived for millennia, but there was no telling what would happen at even the smallest of changes. It was fragile, and Bakugo liked things that were sturdy.

While Bakugo might have had misgivings about the area, the same could not be said about the others.

"Whooooaaaa…" Pikachu let out a long breath of bewilderment, leaning forwards with a small shine of amazement in his eyes.

"Pretty!" Raccoon Eyes exclaimed loudly.

Egg-head gave off a whistle, and a large grin was etched onto Kirishima's face with his weird-ass teeth.

"Gotta admit, if someone told me a week ago that _this_ was what I was gonna see, I never would've believed 'em." Egg-head said appreciatively.

"I've never seen anything like this… Bakugo, why didn't you tell us about this?" Kirishima asked, turning towards him.

"I didn't even fucking know if this was still going to _be_ here. There's a reason you don't normally see this kind of shit." Bakugo snarked back, keeping a firm grip on the controls.

The sector was pretty, but it was also a sector. A sector with a _very_ large amount of planets. Getting up to FTL was difficult, and the beacons had been set ages ago by whoever came before the Kestrel. There was no telling just how off they would be now.

"Still, though, this is a nice view. Glad you left it as a surprise." Egg-head remarked off-handedly, and Bakugo grunted back at him.

"Where's our first stop gonna be?" Kirishima asked excitedly, and a frustrated crease formed on Bakugo's forehead.

"If I knew that, then I wouldn't still be fucking deciding. Give me a minute, Kirishima." Bakugo snapped back, and Kirishima blinked, a look of confusion on his face.

"Hey, what happened to Shitty Hair? When did you start calling me by my actual name?" He asked, a delighted look on his face. Bakugo glared back at him.

"I can change my mind at any goddamn moment, _Kirishima_ , so don't push your luck. And I've been calling you by name for the past goddamn day, you dumbass." Bakugo snorted, pulling up the starmap.

Raccoon Eyes fucking _squealed_. "Oh, that's so adorable! You _do_ care about us!"

"Shut the fuck up, Raccoon Eyes! I don't need this shit from you right now!" He snapped, annoyance rising.

"Man, we must be something special, huh? Most of the reports on you say that you're more animal than human, but you're more soft than they say." Egg-head added offhandedly, a disarming smile on his face.

A vein pulsed in Bakugo's forehead, and his eye twitched. "I'll fucking kill all of you!" He raged, firing off several small explosions in his hands.

Pikachu began fucking _laughing_ , and if Bakugo wasn't feeling downright murderous before, he was now.

"Something funny, Dunce Face?" Bakugo roared, resisting the urge to strangle Pikachu. Somehow, this only made the electric idiot laugh harder.

At this point, Pikachu was practically on the ground laughing for no reason that Bakugo could figure out, and Kirishima had joined him. Raccoon Eyes had a huge, smug smile plastered on her face, and Egg-head had a shit-eating grin on his.

"Well, I mean, you've threatened to kill us before, and we're still here. What's the truth? When will the media stop lying to us?" Egg-head pondered overdramatically, clenching a hand to his heart with a pained expression that was ruined by the ever-growing grin.

"Keep this up and I'll fucking make it happen, Egg-head!" Bakugo snarled.

Pikachu was turning a bit blue.

"Aww, Bakugo, you wouldn't hurt an injured woman, would you? Especially not one as _dazzling_ as me." Raccoon Eyes preened, a faux look of hurt in her eyes.

In the background, Pikachu seemed to be slowly recovering, along with Kirishima, who was helping him back to his feet.

"The explosions of justice are unisex." Bakugo replied flatly, a completely serious look on his face. Distantly, he registered both Pikachu and Kirishima exploding into laughter again.

"Shut up! I'll kill you both if you don't stop laughing! Die!" Bakugo roared, his patience finally running thin.

After a few long coughs, Pikachu slowly made eye contact with him, his face red. "Sorry, it's just- heh- just like you, you know? It's been a while since you've threatened to kill us. And _the explosions of justice are unisex_ \- pfft. You sound like an old-timey superhero." Pikachu admitted, not exactly mockingly.

"If it's been that long, then I need to step up my game." Bakugo muttered to himself.

"Aw, what's wrong, Bakugo? Need to make sure we all know how scary you are? Don't worry, I think you're scary." Raccoon Eyes said, this time very mockingly, whispering the last part as though it were some big secret.

"Go fuck yourself, Raccoon Eyes." Bakugo shot back wearily.

"But I have bruised ribs, Bakugo. Even you know this." Raccoon Eyes joked. Bakugo shot her a look of mild disgust.

"Didn't need that mental image, but glad to know your sense of humor is intact, Mina." Kirishima joked from where he rested against the wall.

"Anytime, Kiri. I would give you a high-five, but I'm not really supposed to be moving." She responded, giving a small thumbs-up.

Bakugo shook his head as the mild banter continued between their small group. He turned his attention back to the starmap, eyes roaming over it.

Bakugo frowned. Something wasn't right here.

The starmap didn't seem very... _changed_ , to say the least. Beacons typically had to be updated frequently, every fifty years or so, because of the rotation of the planets. And yet, the beacons here seemed to be accurate, worryingly so. The planets in front of him lined up with everything that the beacons in front of him were saying.

Regardless of what the truth was, this wasn't good.

The planets should move too frequently for these beacons to still be accurate. He knew it wasn't some sort of strange time dilation effect because of the last time he had come through and everything had been normal. Which really only left a few options.

Either someone had been through here recently for the sole purpose of updating the beacons, or someone in this sector was still alive and had the technology to do so.

...Was that really so impossible? It went against everything he thought that he knew of this sector, but really, was it so improbable that _someone_ out here had gotten the technology to do that?

But, if it wasn't true, then that meant that someone was able to reliably enter and exit the sector without the knowledge of _anyone_ , including him. Information travelled far in the underworld, and even though Bakugo didn't have many friends in the shadier parts of the galaxy, he had enough to know that no artifact of the Crystals had been discovered since after the Kestrel. And if this person had the sort of power to enter and exit at will, then what would they even be doing with it? People didn't find something like this just to update the beacons.

Bakugo shook his head. It wasn't worth it to be wondering about all of this. God knows the last thing he needed was a headache and a half. If he found out, he found out. If not, then why would he even need to give a damn?

Either way, it was good for them. The beacons were good. No reason to worry about it. Now, they just needed to get the hell out and take one stop. He was a man of his word.

Bakugo's eyes flitted across the starmap, taking in the sights. The fastest and safest route...That was his goal. If they got caught in an exploding sun, or if they found a roaming drone, they would be in danger. Their ship was still damaged from the last fight they were in.

Bakugo's eyes zoned in on a path. He wanted to get out of this sector as soon as possible, and the answer to doing that was skirting along the edges of it while avoiding the nebula until he reached the exit beacon, which would deposit them neatly into the home sector of Terra Ultima.

Their journey would be over soon.

Shaking that thought from his head, Bakugo activated the FTL, and their ship began to zoom along to the next beacon.

"Oi. Idiots." Bakugo called, and the bridge quieted after a second.

"We're getting out of here as soon as we can. If we find a planet that we can stop on, we stay for less than a day. Got it? We don't have time to be screwing around. All For One is probably getting closer and closer to Terra Ultima, and the longer we take to get there, the more likely it is that he'll make his move. He's a crafty bastard, so expect the unexpected. Right now...he's probably gathering Quirks." Bakugo muttered intensely, staring at hyperspace around them.

The bridge was filled with a sort of tense silence until Pikachu gathered the courage to raise a hand and ask, "Gathering Quirks for what?"

Bakugo sighed. "Who knows? Healing his fucked-up face, making himself stronger, getting counters for specific heroes. With the amount of people that want Quirks and the amount that don't, he's going to have his hands full." He commentated, kicking his feet up on the console.

"But who _wouldn't_ want their Quirk? My Quirk is a blessing. Both of my parents didn't have one, and they were proud when I got mine, even though I cut my eye when it happened." Kirishima said, a light smile on his face, unknowing of the somber mood that had settled over the bridge.

 _Parents seem to be a touchy subject no matter where I go._

"Kirishima, have you ever hurt another person with your Quirk accidentally?" Raccoon Eyes asked softly.

The question seemed to take him aback. "I don't think I have. Is that something normal?" Kirishima asked, a worried look in his eyes.

Raccoon Eyes sighed. "When I was a kid, I didn't have much control over my Quirk. I would fling acid all over our furniture whenever I got mad, and that happened...more than I would like to admit. I would be bullied because of my Quirk by all of the other kids, either because my skin was pink or because I was such a hazard. All throughout my time in school, I never had a boyfriend, mostly because of all of _that_. Eventually, I just...learned to stand up to my bullies and worry about myself. About my future." Raccoon Eyes told him, a somber look in her eyes.

"But, at that point in time, if someone offered to take away my Quirk, I would have agreed without a second thought."

Absolute silence reigned over the ship as Ashido's words sunk in. Bakugo turned his head away.

"Mina...you know that you're really manly, right?" Kirishima suddenly spoke up.

"Thanks, Kiri, but that's not-"

"No, I mean it. You're a really good person, and you've got more heart than most people I've met combined. When we were in middle school, you were my inspiration. I didn't have the heart to do what I believed was right, and when I saw you, I felt...outclassed. Like I was falling behind. But time and time again, you did the right thing, and I wanted to live up to the standard you were setting. Even if we both failed to become heroes in the end, you were...You were mine. My hero." Kirishima choked out, and- oh god, the dude is crying. Fuck.

"So...so listen to me when I tell you that you're a good, manly person. Even in the time that we've been together on this ship, I can tell that you haven't changed. You're still the type of person who can go above and beyond and be a hero. You're the hero that I know that you can be. So you've got no right to be talking bad about yourself! As a man, I have to defend the honor of my friends, even if the person insulting them is themselves!" Kirishima roared, slamming a fist into his heart.

Ashido's lip wobbled, and she seemed to be doing her best not to cry.

She failed at that the second Kirishima crossed the small distance of the ship and enveloped her in a hug, awkward though it may have been in her position.

Bakugo turned his head away from the spectacle. It felt like he was intruding on a personal moment, and in a way, he was. But he wasn't going to throw a snarky comment into the mix, or say anything that would invalidate what was going on here.

This was their moment, something special to be shared between friends. It was something that Raccoon Eyes may not have wanted, but it was probably something that she needed. Bakugo wasn't going to be the one to interrupt that. He knew what it was like to have something important, something that you _needed_ to happen, ripped away and stopped at a crucial moment.

It was why he had left U.A, after all. He wasn't going to do the same to someone else. Not when they were his friends.

...Heh. They really were slowly becoming his friends, weren't they? Bakugo hadn't had a proper friend in...He didn't even know how long. The lackeys who followed him in school didn't count, nor did his contacts.

He didn't know how to feel about it. Happy, angry, worried. For now, though, he was content to leave things as they were.

And if they got hurt…

He wouldn't let it come to that. That was all he needed to know.

For now, he just left his feet up on the console and didn't say a word as his friends cried their hearts out. He gave them all the time they needed.

Their journey was, after all, almost over.

* * *

It took three FTL jumps before they got to a planet that their malevolent leader Bakugo claimed was good to explore. Sero Hanta, in that time, had gotten a bit more familiar with his new friends..

This ship had a crew of people that he hadn't really seen before. They were a buncha wackjobs, but in the good way. Blasty was terrifying, but he was good at what he did and he was fun to make fun of. Sero could respect that. He found good friends in Kirishima and Kaminari (as in, the three of them were equally positive), and he found a rival in Go Fish in the form of Ashido.

Seriously, that pink woman could cheat like none other. If he hadn't been warned about it before, he never would have known.

Where was he? Oh yeah, the planet. It was a big ol' block of crystals. According to Blasty, the planet should have an atmosphere. Some science stuff about there being big air pockets. Honestly, most of what the dude said went over Sero's head. It wasn't that he was dumb, just that he _really_ did not care about it. The only words that really mattered to him were _habitable, crystals,_ and _money_.

He wasn't greedy, but he wanted his ship back, man. He had spent a lot of time on that thing. It had surround sound. That might not sound impressive, but when it was in every single room, it became a lot more badass, especially when he could play All Might's theme song during a space battle.

The _Ground Zero_ , on the other hand, did not have surround sound, and made a worrying sound as it pulled into the atmosphere of the brilliantly glistening planet.

Shaken from his thoughts by Blasty roughly pushing past him, Sero was brought back to reality.

"Alright, fuckers, we're here. There's a shit-ton of caves here, which means a shit-ton of space monsters. Keep on your guard, and if something goes wrong, get the hell out. Don't risk your goddamn life over a fucking crystal." Blasty snapped.

"Anyone tell you that you have a wonderful way with words?" Sero teased, fully prepared to receive an explosion to the face.

"Shut the hell up, Egg-head."

Not for the first time, Sero wondered if his head actually looked like an egg or if Bakugo was just saying that to mess with him. Was it his hair? It _was_ kinda pointy.

"Hey, what should I do?" Ashido asked nervously from where she sat on their makeshift bed. Sero saw why she asked- her entire body was still covered in his tape. To move would be to hurt her even more, and she might even hurt herself internally.

"Stay here. We need someone to guard the ship, and we need someone to teleport us back if things go wrong. You've all got your teleporter cuffs, right?" Blasty confirmed, narrowing his eyes. Sero did, in fact, have his looped around his wrist.

"You got it, B-man." Kaminari responded.

"I'll snap your neck in your sleep, Pikachu." Blasty easily responded, turning away from them to face the door.

"At least you'll have to decency to do it while I'm asleep instead of right now." Kaminari shot back playfully, earning himself another glare.

"You guys have everything, right? I don't want you guys to get too hurt out there, you know?" Ashido asked quietly.

"Flashlights, some food, some water, a backpack, and some basic exploring gear. We'll be fine. With all four of us, we'll be able to find something in no time. We'll be back before you know it, Mina!" Kirishima reassured with a bright, happy smile, and Sero was left feeling distinctly out of place. He didn't quite know these people as well as they knew each other.

"Plus, even if things go wrong, we'll have you here. I have faith in you." Kirishima added after a moment.

"Try not to let us get stranded out there." Kaminari threw his voice in.

"Yeah, yeah, you got it. I'm not useless, you know!" Ashido cut in, sounding slightly annoyed.

Blasty snorted. "Better not be. I don't need dead weight on my ship."

Ashido scoffed, sounding slightly offended. "Bakugo, who would provide the feminine touch if I were gone? You boys would blow up the ship within the hour if I left." She said smugly.

Her logic was, sadly, flawless.

"And in the hour that we're going to be gone, make sure it doesn't happen without us. Got it?" Bakugo fired back confrontationally, not missing a beat.

"Aye aye, cap'n!" Ashido said with a lazy salute.

Bakugo turned his attention back to them. "Alright, let's get going. We get in and out. I don't want to spend forever wasting time in a fucking cave, got it?" He snarled, making sure they knew that he was serious.

"You got it!" Kirishima happily replied. Sero could only give him a strange look.

Kirishima was something of an enigma to Sero. The dude was just so... _happy_ all the time. He'd even managed to become actual _friends_ with Bakugo. Something about manliness just seemed to cry out to the red-haired half-Rock.

"Egg-head, stop spacing out. Stay focused on the goal, you bastard!" Bakugo snapped, and Sero shook his head.

"Sorry, Blasty. Got a little caught up in my head."

Bakugo frowned, but didn't say anything else; just turned and left through the door.

"We'll be back soon, Mina!" Kirishima said happily, following Bakugo's path with Kaminari hot on his heels.

Sero was about to follow them as well, but Ashido's soft voice stopped him.

"Be careful. Don't let them get hurt." She pleaded, and Sero paused.

He didn't meet her eyes, but he nodded. "You guys are my way outta here, right? Kaminari and Kirishima are cool by me, and Blasty isn't that bad, either. I'll make sure we get outta here. My Tape isn't as useless as a lot of people think."

Sero pushed open the door, and with a small _click_ , he was ready to go.

If Sero thought that the Crystal sector was cool by itself, then the caves were what sold it to him.

At first, it looked like a normal cave system- dark, a little chilly, hauntingly empty, the whole works. But as they descended, that began to change.

"Whoa…" Sero breathed out, taking a short glance around.

The further down they went, there were more and more crystals lining the walls. They were beautiful, almost perfectly transparent formations. Small rainbows of light could be seen when Sero peered through it, and if that weren't enough, it seemed to produce its own light as well. He was almost hesitant to call it a crystal. It was indescribable.

"Think I'll just take one of these for the road…" Sero muttered to himself, driving his flashlight into the side of a small one hanging off of a wall. It fell off after a few strikes, and Sero pocketed the glistening gem.

Blasty snorted at him and shook his head, but didn't say anything.

"Hey, these things are real cool! I didn't think that we'd be seeing any light down here at all, but it seems like we lucked out!" Kaminari cheered joyfully.

"I don't know how these things work, and I don't give a damn. Let's keep moving." Bakugo ordered from the front of the group. Sero shrugged at Kaminari with a small grin after his face went crestfallen.

Proceeding deeper in the caves, Sero found himself needing his flashlight less and less. The crystals began to illuminate the area, although he did keep the flashlight close by his side at all times. The crystals may have made light, but that didn't mean that they were everywhere. There were long, haunting shadows stretching across the ground and ceiling that creeped him out beyond belief. Half the time, he thought he saw something moving in them, but when he shined his light on it, it just turned out to be the wall.

...Seriously, this entire cave looked like it would be out of a horror story.

Still, though, the cave itself was a bit suspicious on its own. It just wasn't very...cave-y. It wasn't what he imagined a cave to be. There were a lot of open spaces, alcoves filled to the brim with those odd crystals, and mostly gentle slopes that led them to another winding path. It almost looked like it was man-made.

 _Still, though…_ Sero thought, cracking his neck, _there's nothing down here now, at least. Haven't even seen a rat, let alone one of the Crystals. Not that there are any more of them._

"Hey, Bakugo, you got any idea what we should be looking for down here? It doesn't really look like there's much else here aside from these crystals. Hell, they'll probably sell for a good price, too, so what are we after down here?" Kaminari spoke up, grabbing a loose crystal of his own.

Bakugo didn't even turn to look at them when he answered.

"You'll know it when you see it. I've got a bit of a hunch about this place. We'll find something." Bakugo assured, confidence leaking from his tone.

"...So we're basing this expedition off of a hunch?" Sero asked, somewhat confused. Blasty didn't seem to be the type to rely on a hunch. He seemed impulsive, yeah, but he was thorough. This guy wasn't rumored to have stolen the Crown Jewel of-

Sero stopped in his tracks.

 _The Crown Jewel of the Crystals._

Sero's mind began to race. The Crown Jewel was only whispered about in some small circles, but it was something that a lot of people had at least heard of, just like the Crystals themselves. Sero had always dismissed it as an old wives tale, but suddenly, things were starting to click.

"Np, I think I get what he's saying. I'm getting that same feeling. Let's trust that he knows what he's doing, yeah?" Kirishima said faintly, but it all registered as background noise for Sero.

 _The only person to get into the Crystal sector that we know of is Bakugo, who apparently did it while chasing a high-priority bounty that needed to be taken alive. It's possible that he nabbed the Jewel while he was in the sector. It's the type of thing that people keep, so it's not like he would sell it…_

 _But then, how did that target get into the Crystal sector in the first place? We only found it by random chance, but it sounds like this guy found it while trying to run away from Bakugo. But what does that mean? What does the Jewel even_ _ **do?**_ _Is it just some royal heirloom, or is it something else?_

"...Sero? You alright, man?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." Sero responded, slightly dazed.

Bakugo snorted, but seemed to buy it. "Don't try too hard. Don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Whatever you say, Bakugo." Sero responded numbly, looking down at one of his hands.

"...Dude, do you need to like, talk about it? You're acting like you discovered the secret to life itself or something." Kaminari noted, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Nah, I'm fine. It's not really a big deal, honest." Sero said, waving him off. Kaminari narrowed his eyes a bit, but he let it slide.

 _Still, though…_ Sero though as he walked behind Bakugo, _what kind of secrets does this man have?_

So wrapped up in his own thoughts, Sero almost didn't notice the cracking in the floor.

"Stop." Bakugo ordered, throwing his arm out. Their group came to a screeching halt.

"The floor is weak here...and from the looks of things, the ceiling, too." Bakugo's eyes flitted upwards as Sero's did the same. True to his word, the roof of the area seemed liable to collapse, with long web-like cracks running through it.

And then, with one mighty crack, the floor left their feet and rocks came tumbling down from the ceiling.

Sero acted on instinct. Tape flew from one arm and gripped the wall of the cave ahead of him, and from his other arm, tape latched onto Kaminari, dragging him forwards alongside him.

Sero rolled once, twice, and a third time before coming to a rough stop against a wall of the cave, Kaminari roughly slamming into him. Sero let out a long groan.

"Fuck…" Sero breathed, staring at the collapsed floor. Bakugo and Kirishima weren't anywhere to be seen.

Quickly, he scrambled to the edge, peering down. The drop seemed endless.

"Are you two alright!?" Sero called down frantically, his voice echoing.

The comm in his ears crackled to life, and Sero breathed a sigh of relief.

" _Keep your voice down, bastard. Last thing we want is another fucking collapse. I managed to move quick enough to get into an alcove, and Kirishima's too sturdy to get taken down by some rocks. We're fine."_ Bakugo's voice came over the comms. Sero had never been happier to hear the angry man's voice before.

" _You and Pikachu alright? I don't see him splattered on the walls, so I'm gonna assume that you got him out of the way."_ Bakugo asked.

"Yeah, we're alright up here. Kaminari, you doing alright?" He asked, and Kaminari groaned loudly.

"Yeah, he's fine." Sero continued.

" _What is going_ _ **on**_ _in there?! I leave you four alone for five minutes and you all almost die!"_ Ashido's outraged voice crackled in his ears, and Sero winced.

" _Hah...Sorry, Mina. This one wasn't our fault, though!"_ Kirishima reassured her, sounding out of breath.

" _Should I at least teleport you all back? You're not hurt, are you?"_ Ashido asked, sounding concerned.

" _Nah, I'm fine. Bakugo, how's it going up there?"_ Kirishima asked, and for a long moment, there was no answer.

" _...I think I found what we're looking for. Kirishima, get your ass up here. Sero, Kaminari, go back to the ship. We'll bring something back. I get the feeling this is the only thing worth finding here."_ Bakugo said ominously, and Sero blinked from where he knelt by the side of the hole.

"Are you sure, Bakugo? He asked, slightly nervous. Whatever it was _had_ to be important.

" _Yes, damn it! We'll be fine, just get your asses back on the ship."_ Bakugo snapped, and Sero was left feeling a bit better about leaving them, if only because Bakugo was back to normal.

"You heard the man. No more caves for me." Kaminari groaned.

A blue light enveloped Sero, and an odd feeling twisted in his gut. Teleportation as normal, then.

As the cave vanished from his sight, he could only hope that Bakugo and Kirishima knew what they were doing.

* * *

Kirishima grunted as he climbed up the small wall, wiping dust off of his shoulders. He hoisted himself up into the small alcove that Bakugo had taken cover in, only about ten feet off of the ground from where he had landed.

The ricks that had came down were small in number and pretty tame for a cave-in. It made him wonder if it was an actual cave-in or just a trap. Regardless, he had been okay, and Sero had made a really nice call in helping Kaminari. Out of all of them, he was the only one who would be unable to help himself.

With one final pull, Kirishima was up and into the small alcove that Bakugo was in- and he instantly saw what made him say that he had found what they were after.

In front of him was a highly intricate door with strange crystals embedded in the walls that lead to the wall; entirely smooth and transparent, they were similar to the ones in the cave above. Bakugo turned to look at him, a frown set deep in his face.

"Don't usually find this kind of shit in an uninhabited rock, do you?" Bakugo snorted.

"But then...that makes this...:" Kirishima breathed.

Bakugo sighed. "The fucking home of the Crystals. What fucking luck, huh? And take a look behind you." Bakugo suddenly said, gesturing to a spot behind Kirishima.

Turning his head, Kirishima was met with the sight of another entrance of the other side of the wall- one that was blocked off with fallen rocks, but had clearly defined steps and worn cloth on the floor.

"...It kinda feels like we're walking on forbidden territory. I feel like I shouldn't be here right now." Kirishima admitted, scratching the back of his neck bashfully and turning back to Bakugo.

"...Yeah. I know exactly what you mean. But we've come too far now to stop. I'm not the type to waste my goddamn time, so we're going into this place and coming out with something worth our effort." Bakugo swore, turning to face that intricate door once more.

Kirishima shook his head. Bakugo was right. They had what they wanted right in front of them. He could look past the gnawing fear in his stomach.

Kirishima stepped forward, glancing down at the door. There didn't really seem to be a handle in sight…

Experimentally, Kirishima placed his hand on the door and pushed. No result.

"Is it stuck?" Bakugo asked, sounding impatient.

"I...I think so." Kirishima groaned, putting far more effort into it. Still no result.

Finally, Kirishima hardened his arms and reared back, throwing all his weight into his hands and slamming into the door. Dust flew up all around them, and the door shook ever so slightly.

"Let me try, you dumbass. You really think the Crystals would make a door for anyone to open?" Bakugo snapped pulling Kirishima back. Kirishima pouted, feeling slightly un-manly.

For a long moment, Bakugo simply stood in front of the door, looking it up and down. His eyes darted between the door itself and the crystals on the wall.

"...It's a puzzle lock. This door is a heavy-duty blast door. Nothing will get through it that isn't meant to. I don't even know if my AP shot would do it." Bakugo said, staring down at his hand. Kirishima blinked in surprise.

"There's a lock on it? But what can you even do to unlock it? There's no keys or mechanisms that I can see…" Kirishima said, gazing intently at the door.

"Look at the crystals in the wall. See how they all connect to the door from the outside walls? That has to mean something." Bakugo insisted, eyes still scanning the door.

Now that he mentioned it, Kirishima saw what he meant. He thought that the crystals themselves were like a design choice, make the room look cooler, but when he looked a little closer, it seemed to be in a pattern.

There were eight in total, and they all connected to different edges and corners of the large door in seemingly random, yet deliberate spots.

Bakugo let out a frustrated growl. "Sure, it's a goddamn puzzle, but knowing it's a puzzle doesn't help us! What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" He roared, slamming a fist into the right side of the door,.

The door made a loud, ominous creaking noise, and Kirishima froze.

Even more dust rained down around them, and the left side of the door slowly opened inwards, coming to a slow halt after about a foot. There was a long moment of silence between the pair.

Kirishima grinned. "So...how about that puzzle lock, huh?"

"Shut the fuck up, Kirishima. Not my fault you didn't try _pulling_."

Kirishima's grin grew. "Whatever you say, Bakugo."

"Die!" Bakugo yelled, throwing the door open and stalking through it.

With a smile still plastered on his face, Kirishima walked through the door and followed Bakugo. The door itself lead to a staircase, with crystals still lining the walls and providing ample light. Kirishima was certain now- it was intentional. These crystals must have been what provided light for the Crystal race when they lived here.

The stairs lead down to another door, this one opening much easier than the previous.

The other side of the door, however, wasn't something that Kirishima had been expecting.

The bad feeling from before returned, full-force. Kirishima almost found himself turning around and leaving, but the sight of Bakugo's broad back, still marching forwards into the large room, gave him the courage to continue.

The room itself was self-contained, with the only entrance being the door they came from. The entire room seemed to be made of the same crystals as before, this time seeming to be more solid, not transparent. It was either that or the crystals were bottomless in all directions, which was just impossible.

Pedestals lined the walls, each one containing something that Kirishima couldn't identify at first glance. One of them held a small, red orb that, when Kirishima touched it, almost burnt his hand.

But in the absolute center of the room lay a book, obviously the most important addition. All of the items in here seemed to be important, but this was given special treatment.

Bakugo went straight for it, grasping the book lightly and brushing at the surface of it. No dust. This area must have been airtight.

"Bakugo...This place...It's what I think it is, isn't it?" kirishima asked, almost breathless as he looked around. Strange artifacts were abound in this room.

"It's some kind of vault, that's for sure. Whatever this book is, it probably says something important. Can't fucking read it, but I know it's gotta say _something_ useful." Bakugo quipped, setting the book back down.

"What- you can't read it? Is it not in Basic?" Kirishima asked, peering over his shoulder. Indeed, the book had a writing that Kirishima struggled to make out at first.

"It's in what looks like the Rock language. You have any luck reading this shit?" Bakugo asked, annoyed, shoving the book into Kirishima's hands.

Kirishima looked at the cover again, frowning. "I guess? I can kinda get what it says. I know how to read Rock, but this stuff looks a bit different. It's old. It's probably what the Crystals used before they even became the Rock race, and our language came from them. The grammar's a bit wacky." Kirishima confessed, giving the book another appraising look.

"You keep working on it. Hell, just start reading off what you can. I'm gonna grab as much of this shit as I can carry." Bakugo grunted, shrugging off the backpack and throwing it into the corner of the room. It flew in a lazy arch.

"What are you doing?" Kirishima inquired as Bakugo took off his shirt.

"Backpack got a hole in it, and I need something to carry all this shit in. Think the backpack got caught on one of the rocks as I fell, or maybe my explosion caught the edge of it. Doesn't really matter." Bakugo grunted, tying two ends of the shirt together and making a makeshift bag.

Kirishima's eyes drifted down to Bakugo's hands as he worked, and his eyes snapped to Bakugo's chest after a second.

"Hey, uh, Bakugo? Your chest is kinda...glowing." Kirishima pointed out somewhat awkwardly.

And true to his word, Bakugo's chest was glowing a very small amount, right around where his heart was. If Kirishima hadn't happened to focus on it, he never would have noticed it.

Bakugo glanced down, and let out a sigh. "It's probably just the cave making light. Don't worry about it."

Kirishima narrowed his eyes somewhat, but decided to take his advice and focus on his task at hand.

Flipping open the first page of the (probably) coveted book, Kirishima began to read aloud.

"This...scripture? Is the...amalgamation of the past and present of the Gems. Wait, it probably means Crystals. I think that's the symbol for gems, but it looks weird." Kirishima spoke aloud, glancing through the first few words in confusion.

"Cut out the prologue, Rocky. And don't worry if it looks weird, just read it as is." Bakugo ordered, letting out a small hiss as he grasped the rock that Kirishima had touched earlier.

"Right right. Skipping all the non-important stuff, got it...first planet...trouble with the locals...biology...Hey, Bakugo, this book might actually be really valuable to historians. Think we can sell it?" He asked, holding the book up.

"Hell yeah. Half the shit you just mentioned would get people to go fucking insane. We get the right guy to sell it to, and you assholes will never have to work again." Bakugo snorted, throwing a weird stick-like object into the shirt.

Kirishima grinned. "Right. Well, it looks like it goes on about their culture for a bit here...what they ate...This here says that the crystals on the wall were both their light source and their food. That's pretty cool, right?" He pointed out.

"I don't really give a damn about it. Is the only thing in that goddamn book their history? Don't know why they fucking airlocked it if that was the case." Bakugo added, frowning as he gripped what seemed to be a smooth stone.

"Um...It says here that family bonds and tradition were important to them...Oh, here's something cool about their biology! It says that their hearts are special in that it allows them to live for a really long time, and if another race had them, they could do the same. They tried it out, but nothing they met could survive the strain of the...movement? Probably means transplant…" Kirishima muttered, glancing back up at Bakugo.

The other male had frozen, staring at Kirishima with a bewildered expression.

"How long is a long time?" Bakugo asked quietly.

Kirishima blinked, surprised by the quiet intensity in his voice. "Um...it doesn't really say exact numbers, but I think I saw something earlier on in the book in the tradition section...Ah! Here! The oldest crystal was apparently 'ten hundred ten's' old, which is...uh…"

"Ten thousand." Bakugo supplied quietly, turning back around and almost robotically taking objects from the pedestals.

"Man, I think it would be awful to live that long. I can barely imagine living to be a hundred and fifty! Most Rocks live to be a couple hundred years old, but it doesn't seem like we got our biology from the Crystals. Must be because of how tough we are." Kirishima commented.

"Shut the hell up and keep reading, dumbass." Bakugo snapped, and Kirishima furrowed a brow. _What's got him so worked up?_

"Alright, um...weapons, ships, beacons...Oh, hey, their beacons are self-updating! Seems like they developed an AI that keep track of the movement of the planets." Kirishima pointed out, actually taking the time to read something in a while.

"Is that right? Sounds cool." Bakugo noted neutrally, and Kirishima frowned at him. He wasn't even listening!

"This next section talks about their power to lock down an area with their crystals and how they transferred it into a bomb...Hey, this stuff kinda reminds me of that Quirk technology you were telling me about. Seems like they were ahead of the curve. It's probably an entirely different ballgame getting a Quirk into something, though, so I have to give those scientists that." Kirishima absentmindedly noted, eyes skimming the bizarre language.

Kirishima turned another page, and physically reared back. "Whoa, okay, this is new. First time they've used a picture."

The picture itself was of a large group of Crystals bowing before a seemingly godlike figure, his entire being glowing with piles of seemingly defeated opponents around him. The writing for 'Victory' was written along the top of the image.

"What's it for?" Bakugo asked, attention grabbed once again. Kirishima frowned when he saw that Bakugo's chest was still glowing.

"It says that it's for the...Regal Ruby of the Ge- the Crystals. I think that's the direct translation...Wait, that line means..." Kirishima trailed off.

"That line means what?" Bakugo asked impatiently, his previous task abandoned.

"That line means...That line makes it mean the Crown Jewel of the Crystals." Kirishima said breathlessly, making eye contact with Bakugo, who had frozen.

That pirate...That one from way back when they had started their journey. He had said something about this, something about Bakugo.

" _Who doesn't know of the Bombing King? He's famous. He was the reason that All Might died, and he was the one who stole the Crown Jewel of the Crystal Rocks."_

Bakugo's expression wasn't something that Kirishima could describe. It wasn't one that was worried, or weak, but he was caught off-guard. Apologetic, or unashamed? Kirishima couldn't tell.

Things were starting to add up.

The figure on the book was glowing, head to toe. And, despite Bakugo's words earlier, Kirishima couldn't ignore the glow that emanated from Bakugo's chest even now, despite how weak it was in comparison. It was coming from his heart, too…

That must have been why he was so interested when Kirishima mentioned their hearts earlier- whatever this Crown Jewel did, it had something to do with his heart.

Kirishima narrowed his eyes at Bakugo, and the man in front of him met his gaze without any semblance of uncertainty, his eyes steeled.

Finally after a long moment, Bakugo broke his gaze and returned to what he was doing.

"You-" Kirishima began.

"Just keep reading. I'll explain everything if you don't get it." Bakugo said, voice soft and quiet, such a drastic change from earlier. Unwilling, Kirishima swallowed any protests that he had and dragged his eyes back down to the page.

"The Crown Jewel is the greatest duty...responsibility? Honor? Think it means honor- that a living being can contain. Probably means hold…" Kirishima muttered.

"No. It means contain." Bakugo said quietly, and Kirishima shot him a worried glance.

"...Right. The Crown Jewel belongs only to those that it deems...worthy, I think that says. It shall belong only to those who lead the Crystal race to victory." Kirishima intoned, glancing up every few seconds at Bakugo.

"Those who hold the Crown must always strive for perfection and victory. None other shall be...suitable to lead the Crystals and all of their descendents." Kirishima read aloud, the true nature of the situation dawning on him.

"The Crown will test those who hold it at all times. Only the strongest may hold the Crown, and the strongest will go to the strongest." Kirishima frowned at that. What the hell was that trying to say?

After Kirishima's abnormally long silence, Bakugo spoke up. "It means that strong people will always find the person who holds the Crown, most of the time for a fight." There was a certain edge to his voice, and Kirishima gulped.

"Um...let's see… The Crown Jewel will test the holder, but not without providing for the holder as well. Strength... begets strength, and if the strong prove themselves strong, then the Crown will provide for its new master however the Crown sees fit."

"The Crown is a Symbol of Victory- with it, a proper holder shall never lose. An improper holder shall face trial and...tribals? Oh, tribulation. An improper holder shall face trial and tribulation and shall be torn to shreds by the Crown." Kirishima read, shuddering.

"Bakugo, you-" Kirishima started.

"Just keep reading, Kirishima." Bakugo ordered roughly.

Kirishima grit his teeth, but looked back down at the page.

"Should the holder ever fail to achieve victory...then the Crown will abandon the holder, and seek out that person who could win against its overwhelming strength, leaving the holder nothing more than a...a husk." Kirishima read quietly, a slight tremble in his voice.

He shouldn't have come down here.

"Upon taking on the Crown Jewel, the holder's most important bodily functions shall all be reinforced with the power of the Crystal race, and they shall be...removed if the Crown should ever leave the holder."

"Should the Crown ever fail to find a holder, it will spell the end of the Crystal race...and any of their progeny." Any of their progeny. _Any of their progeny._

If this Crown didn't have a holder at any point in its lifespan, the Crystal race would end, but so would the Rocks.

So would he.

"That's...all that the passage says." Kirishima said unsteadily, closing the book with a small _thud_ that seemed to echo infinitely in this small space of theirs.

The room was absolutely silent.

"That mission. Five years ago. The one that took you into this sector. That was when you got it, wasn't it?" Kirishima asked, an edge to his voice.

Bakugo didn't respond for a long moment.

"...Yeah. That was where I got it."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Would you have believed me if I did?"

"Of course I would! Why the hell wouldn't I! Bakugo, we're _friends!_ I trust you, so why can't you trust me?!" Kirishima almost screamed, feeling a well of hurt and anger swell up in him.

"...Kirishima. Do you remember when I told you that I had a ship that I ran by myself, with only drones to keep it moving?" Bakugo asked, meeting his gaze with an empty look in his eyes.

"What the hell does that have to do with-"

"You aren't the first people I've tried travelling with since I got it. You idiots are the second group I've travelled with. The first tried to kill me to get the Crown for themselves." Bakugo said, expression and tone entirely blank. Kirishima could tell, from a single look, that this was something that Bakugo didn't want to talk about.

But, even still, Bakugo kept talking, and Kirishima's heart bled for him.

"I didn't consider them friends, but I trusted them to have my back whenever I needed it. That was too much faith to place in anyone. And, at first, I didn't even place that faith in you two. I kept my guard up. I made sure not to let you become someone that I trusted. And yet, with every occasion, you two just kept on breaking what expectations I set for you." Bakugo said, a far-away look in his eyes.

"At first, I felt comfortable enough to easily leave the two of you behind. But then, Aeon Station happened, and for the first time in years, I found someone that I knew. Someone that I was familiar with. Someone I could trust. And she trusted you, and you trusted Kaminari. And it got just a little bit harder to leave you behind."

"From that point forwards, the three of you just kept on breaking through whatever walls were in front of you. You broke past your own limits time and time again, all because I just _asked_ you to. All of you placed your entire faith and trust in me, and I felt like I was a part of a cosmic joke. Why would three of the brightest people I've ever met believe so much in an asshole like me?"

"Even Sero wasn't immune to it. Within the span of a few days, he became friends with all of you, and even now, I can't say that the ship would be the same without him. He saved Kaminari, and he trusts you the same way you trust him."

"I've built up something safe. Something comfortable. Somewhere I can call home, and it's all because of all of you. Even if it's a shithole of a ship, it's a shithole of a ship that has some of the best people I've met on it. It's a shithole of a ship that I can look at and, somehow, be _proud_ of. It's something that I've put work into, and it's something that I can lose at any second. I can lose it at _any second,_ Kirishima. I don't _want_ to lose it. I _can't_. So, tell me, Kirishima," Bakugo met his eyes, and there was a desperate sort of despair in them.

"If there was a chance that you would lose the only thing you've loved in years, why would you take it?"

Kirishima had never expected such despair to come from Bakugo. Never, in a million years, had he expected the man in front of him to show such a vulnerable side to him. It made his heart cry out in anguish, even as Bakugo's red-eyed stare seemed to burn a hole into him.

"I couldn't take that risk. I didn't want to wake up in the morning with a knife in my back. So, I hid it from all of you, and don't you dare tell me that you would do any different." Bakugo challenged, his red eyes regaining some of their intensity.

"Bakugo, I…" Kirishima tried, searching for words and praying that some would come to him.

"What? Got something to say?" Bakugo almost taunted, but there was no heat behind it, no passion.

The same tactic that he used with Mina earlier wouldn't work here. Bakugo was just too different a person in too different a situation for Kirishima to try to cheer him up the normal way.

"...You've carried the biggest burden out of all of us, and yet you've still earned our respect. I'm not the type of person to trust just _anyone_. I know what it's like to be betrayed, to be sold out. When I first saw you, fighting for your life against more opponents that you can handle, I didn't think, 'That guy looks like a hothead', I thought, 'That guy looks strong, so I'm going to help him'. And you proved it. You've fought against a lot of people, and you've done it for both yourself and others. In the beginning, I wasn't sure what to think of you, but you proved yourself _worthy of my trust_ , time and time again. So, let me say this: You're my friend, Bakugo, and you're not my friend because of your strength, or because of some stupid crystal in your chest. You're my friend because of who you are. My friend is the hero named Bakugo Katsuki." Kirishima stated earnestly, extending a hand out to him.

"So forget about everything that came before, and focus on what you have. Our ship still needs a captain, and it needs a friend. For as much as you love us, we love you, too. So, just take my hand, and we can go home." Kirishima offered, his hand still splayed out.

This was an all-or-nothing gamble. It was putting both of their wishes, both of their ideals on the line. This was Kirishima asking Bakugo to let down his walls and _trust_ in them.

For a long second, Bakugo didn't move, and Kirishima let out a small sigh.

He closed his eyes, feeling disappointment begin to well up in him with each passing second- until a firm, warm, slightly sweaty hand gripped his own.

Bakugo Katsuki met Kirishima Eijirou's eyes- and a feral grin grew on both of their faces.

"I'm with you bastards all the way, huh?" Bakugo whispered, the light back in his eyes.

"You're not gonna get rid of us that easily! We're gonna pester you to hell and back, even after we beat All For One!" Kirishima retorted playfully, feeling a warm, exciting energy brewing inside of him that he hadn't felt in years.

This...this feeling was the true spirit of a man. He felt invincible, ready to take on anyone and everyone, now that he knew that Bakugo was by his side.

With everyone around him, all of his friends, he knew that there was absolutely no way they could lose.

They would go beyond their limits, faster than the speed of light, and break free from the shackles that held them down.

This was what it meant to be both a man and a hero.

And right now, Kirishima felt like both.

* * *

"So...it's kinda like a...heart transplant?" Egg-head tried, and Bakugo felt like slamming his head onto the console.

They'd returned to the ship after Kirishima's little speech (that had Bakugo feeling a lot more confident in himself) and now, he was trying to explain to them about what the Crown Jewel was at Kirishima's insistence.

Bakugo grit his teeth. "It's more like...a parasite. It chooses the best host, and if it finds a stronger one, it infects that one instead. When it does, it digs it's goddamn talons into the host's heart, and then it can run rampant in the body and change whatever it damn well feels like. For example-" Bakugo lifted up his shirt to show his chest, which now had a small glow emanating from it. It hadn't even started before he'd entered the Crystal planet, and now it wasn't fucking going away.

Egg-head nodded slowly, face dawning in understanding.

"Is that all it's done?" Pikachu asked, peering at his chest. "I think it's gotten rid of some of your scars, too." He pointed out, and Bakugo glanced down.

"Fucking- god damn it!" Bakugo swore. Those scars made him look _badass!_ Why the hell did this shit have to go and decide to change it _now?_

Bakugo let out a long sigh, massaging his forehead. It wasn't important right now. "That's not all it's done. The fucking thing messed with my Quirk at one point. Made it stronger. Fucking shatters my arm when I do it, though." Bakugo grumbled, annoyance beginning to well up in him.

"Ooh, that can't be fun. Almost like Deku when he first got started, remember? Can't you just train your body to get past it, though?" Raccoon Eyes asked, a serious look on her face.

Bakugo's frown deepened. "I've tried. The bastard made it _too_ strong. The only time I can even _think_ about using it is with my hero costume, which is another reason to get to Terra Ultima. I have a backup stored there." Bakugo grumbled, flexing his arm, remembering the sensation of how he did it the first time.

Pikachu whistled. "You're pretty ripped already, dude. What kind of firepower does it take to blow apart your arm just like that? I mean, Deku's pretty big, but he's not that much bigger than you, and he handles almost as much power as All Might did with ease." Pikachu pointed out, poking Bakugo's arm as if to prove a point.

Bakugo scowled. "You ever hear of the Big Bang?" He asked, making sure to keep his expression as neutral as possible.

Pikachu laughed for a second, but it slowly died out when Bakugo's expression didn't change. "You're kidding." He tried.

Bakugo kept his face calm and neutral for about five more seconds, letting Pikachu slowly lose his composure, before he broke and a small smile broke out on his face.

"Oh, hell yeah, I'm kidding. If I could control _that_ kind of power, I'd fucking die with a single use of it. It's closer to one of the hydrogen bombs of old, on Terra Prime. Still fucking terrifying, and I need a name for it." Bakugo admitted with a small laugh, and the entire crew of idiots around him stared at him.

"...What the hell are you looking at?" Bakugo snapped, scowl firmly back in place.

"Dude, I think that's the first time I've ever seen you smile. Or laugh. I swear to god, you look like an entirely different person. I've never been more terrified of you." Pikachu told him, backing away slowly with one hand out as though fending off a wild beast.

"I, personally, feel blessed. You know, Bakugo, you could probably get a girlfriend if you stopped frowning all the time. It can't be good for your face. You'll have lines there permanently if you keep it up." Raccoon Eyes joked from her seat on the makeshift bed.

"All of you can fuck off and die." Bakugo grumbled.

"Yeah, man, I'm actually with Mina on this one. You do look a lot better when you're smiling. A lot more heroic! Or scary. It depends on the smile." Kirishima pointed out, and Bakugo grit his teeth. That damn traitor. He knew that Bakugo would listen to him.

"...I'll fucking think about it. Don't go around expecting miracles." Bakugo grumbled.

The ship lulled into quiet for a few moments, before Egg-head spoke up once more. "Hey, what exactly happened down there? You seem a bit different, Bakugo. Was it something in this book? The answers on how to be a kind and empathetic person? Because if so, then whoever left it there has my thanks." Egg-head spoke up, waving around the book on the Crystals.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Egg-head! I'll kill you!" Bakugo roared, plucking the book from Egg-head's grasp.

"And be careful with this fucking thing! One scratch and we'll be out of thousands of credits!" Bakugo scolded, carefully placing it in the pile with the rest of the strange array of objects they'd recovered.

Most of them honestly looked like they were sentimental objects. The fire-stone was cool, and some of the objects had some interesting effects, but that was all they were in the end- interesting. Most of them didn't even have any practical use, so they were useless to them.

Bakugo sighed as he sat down in the captain's chair again. "We're getting out of here."

Within moments, the ship entered hyperspace, and the crew of the _Ground Zero_ were off once more on their way to Terra Ultima.

Egg-head suddenly frowned, glancing at Pikachu's leg.

"Something up, Egg-head?" Bakugo asked, not unkindly.

After a second of digging in his pockets, Egg-head pulled out the crystal that he had gotten from the caves. "Thought something was off. This thing stopped glowing. Might have been because of the planet." He commented.

Bakugo glanced down his shirt. He, unfortunately, did not have the same problem.

"Aw, damn, it stopped? That makes this thing a lot less cool." Pikachu lamented, and with a sigh, held it up. "Hey, Sero, you want mine? I really only kept it because it glowed, but it kinda weighed me down."

Egghead shrugged. "Might as well. Always nice to have a cool crystal on-hand. Make a ring out of it for that special someone one day, maybe show it to chicks at a bar...the opportunities are endless."

"If you need a rock to impress some chick, you probably don't deserve to get the chick in the first place. I prefer the all-natural method, wooing them with my limitless charm." Pikachu bragged, tossing the crystal to Egg-head, who grinned and pocketed it.

Raccoon Eyes snorted, and Bakugo did the same, but Pikachu seemed immune to their criticisms.

"Your loss, dude. Free crystal for me." Egg-head bragged.

Bakugo sighed. "You two are morons."

But really, wasn't that part of their charm?

All his life, Bakugo had been surrounded by people who were either too smart for their own good or too dumb for their own good. His friends were a perfect mix of the two, toeing the line between perceptive and asinine when the situation called for it.

Bakugo wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Midoriya Izuku was dealing with a group of people who knew far more than they should and far less than they knew.

"Deku, it's been rumoured-"

"May we get a word-"

"Deku-"

"Deku-"

"Deku-"

Deku stopped in his stride, and the chatter around him grew somewhat dimmer.

The incident at Sol Aeternum had become galactic news in hours. Everyone was talking about it, regardless of race, and the opinion on it was unanimous- it had to be an inside job.

The defenses at Sol Aeternum were second to none, guarded heaving by a large group of heroes who both oversaw the races to ensure they didn't step out of bounds and who defended the area. For the size of the force that attacked the planet, there was no possible chance for them to succeed. And yet, despite their best efforts, the heroes were easily defeated.

Some of the heroes had fallen ill, reporting vomiting and general sickness. Others had gone to sleep and not woken up. Others still had been prepared for battle, only for their ship's energy to drop significantly and their weapons and shields to fail on them.

For such a colossal failure on the part of the heroes, the Federation looked like fools. The Rebels, on the other hand, had acted quickly, neatly, and efficiently, arriving mere minutes after the disaster, providing aid for any who survived, eliminating all of the attackers with ease, and performing surveys of the area, uncovering precious evidence that was currently being used to extricate them from their involvement in the attack, given the fact that the attackers had flown Rebel ships and flags.

Midoriya, on the other hand, had to fly halfway across the galaxy and abandon his chase to focus on a bigger problem. All For One was temporarily given a bit of room away from the all-seeing eye of the _One For All_ , instead being chased by smaller, _Interceptor_ class ships.

Which meant that both of his failures would be for naught, both Aeon and Sol Aeternum falling for no purpose.

Perhaps now _no_ purpose, as Jirou and Koda were following the ships that launched the bomb, but still, the amount of deaths...

Midoriya grit his teeth, and the mask of Deku was back on, a wonderful, bright smile filling his face.

"Sorry, but I don't really have time to answer any questions right now. I'm going to be late for my interview. There's no need to worry, though- everything will be alright!" Deku reassured the crowd, who only pressed harder. Deku's smile was still there, but it became slightly apologetic.

He pulled his arm up, checking his watch, and his eye twitched. He was _definitely_ going to be late if he didn't hurry.

"Sorry again!" He called back- and green lightning enveloped him as All Might's power filled his body.

 _Full Cowl- 85%._

With a single bound, he cleared the building, leaving a gaggle of reporters in the dust without a story. Midoriya really did feel bad for them- he knew that they were only trying to get a story to support themselves, and he knew that he was a quick ticket to that, but he really just didn't have the time. Ochaco would laugh at him and call it his 'good heart', but she wasn't here to tease him about the reporters that so many heroes hated.

In the time being, she and Iida were piloting the _One For All_ in his absence.

Deku let out a small flare of power as he landed, cushioning the blow and leaving only a small crack in the sidewalk while he managed to land comfortable. He frowned- he must be more off than he thought. That amount of power shouldn't have done any damage at all. Now, someone would have to fix it at some point, lest it expand in the winter.

And Terra Ultima had some _long_ winters.

With a few more jumps, Midoriya found himself outside the studio where he was expected to be on air in...fifteen minutes. He was more late than he thought. Quickly, Midoriya stepped through the door, adjusting the tie on his green suit _("It brings out your eyes! You look amazing in it. Trust me.")_ and was instantly greeted by a frantic assistant.

With his suit being adjusted for him by someone he didn't recognize, Midoriya had time to prepare himself.

Time for him to make or break the Federation's reputation in front of the entire galaxy.

He would put his best foot forwards. That's what you always said to do...wasn't it, Kacchan?

* * *

 **And that's a wrap for chapter 10! In this chapter, a whole lot of shit happened! I think I went into a trance for the last five hours and the second half of this chapter was the result! I didn't even plan on doing some of this.**

 **Alright, explanation time. No, the Crown Jewel isn't some magic bullshit- it** _ **is**_ **a parasite, just one that the Crystals revere. The part about the Crystal race and all their descendents dying out if it does was just dramatics, but Kirishima doesn't know that. It functions as a mutualistic symbiotic relationship, where it enhances different parts of the body of its host, while it gets a place to live. Whenever its host is in danger of dying, it leaves and goes to the most powerful person around. It doesn't technically have the ability to draw powerful people to it, but it happens regardless because of the wish to hold that kind of power.**

 **And, finally, we have the reason behind the Roman Council's existence. Remember what Vesta said- how they wanted to be immortal? Bakugo and co. don't know about it yet, but if all of their information were combined…**

 **Jirou and Koda are going after the group that fired the bomb, and Bakugo's group will pop out of the Crystal sector somewhere in Federation space. Wonder if anything is gonna happen…**

 **Anyways, that's really all I wanted to talk about.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Anonymuss45, signing off.**


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